plugy

I will firstly tell you my personal circumsatces.
I'm 41 currently unemployed looking for work, i have qualifications in teaching,Ba honors in construction and management, qualified bricklayer and electrician.

My wife is 37 and works full time for Aldi stores.
I have 3 children age 9,14 and 18.

We own 1 house outright we rent and another we live in with a mortgage.

Thats my personal circumstance at the moment.

We have been to Florida on several occasions equating to approximately spending 6 months there and love it.

My reason for want in leave Uk: Not Uk any more full of foreigners and about to get worse with Bulgaria and Romanian due in soon, who seem to get treated better than than the old people who fought for the place, it has its priority all wrong.

Lack of school places, failing health care and generally very dis respectful people especially youngsters.

I want better for my family and children and we are not afraid to work for it.

We realize it is not a pot of gold over there but and it can be hard but i dont want to die thinking what might have been.

The general cleanliness living in the Uk is like living in an ashtray rubbish everywhere.
Floridian people in general very respectful and curious.

USA seam to have a more common sense approach to things, the Uk is human rights mad?

Any advice on employment opportunities, standard of living,cost of living, how you are accepted or not by the US citizens, the best places to start a new life in the US any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Pulaski

The first thing you should do is go and read the two Pulaski wikis in the USA section of the wikis tab and decide which class of visa you are eligible for. However based on what you have told us it doesn't immediately sound like you or your wife will be eligible under any category, and that is very common. Despite there being many British who do find a way to immigrate to the US, in practice it is extremely difficult or impossible for most.

yukichon

I think many reason that you have listed are ones that lots of people are feeling at present.

plugy

Thanks for advice very helpful keep it coming.
We have toyed with the idea of sell the house we own to buy a business all ready up and running, but unsure how this would work, if it is an advantage or not?

As the days go by im getting more restless and need a change in my life for my self and familiy.

civilservant

How much is your house worth?

Honestly I don't see much in your personal circumstances that is going to lead to a visa to live and work in the US.

Pulaski

Buying a business might make you eligible for an E-2, but in all honesty this is the least desirable class of visa. It is subject to fairly frequent renewal, and if renewal is denied you must leave almost immediately, abandoning your business to be run by the employees until you can sell it. The visa also comes to an end when you sell the business, it fails, or you retire; there is no path to permanent residence status (a green card). Your children will "age out" of the visa at 21. And healthcare for a family of five is going to be a pretty scary number, probably close to $2,000/mth for most policies. The only bright spot is that your wife would be eligible to work outside the business.

christmasoompa

Perhaps a move within the UK is more realistic? The whole of the UK isn't as you've described and a move to a nicer area would be cheaper/easier, and of course a lot of the same problems will be in Florida too!

Good luck.

nun

There's nothing in your circumstances that make a US visa probable. The best option you have would be to try for an investor/business visa if you can get enough cash together.

However, given your comments on the UK you might find FL to be similar.

plugy

£120,00 with no mortgage

The house we live in mortgage left £67,000 worth £140,000

plugy

How are so many ex pats living in the us it sounds almost impossible?

Also what would you realistic need to earn per week or month to live comfortably.

One other thing we noticed whilst in Florida if it is so hard to attain visas and work, when we visited the many flea markets it was full of Asians non speaking English ones, and lots of them how have they managed to achieve working their?

The road to moving across the pond we always felt was to buy a buissness it is just hard finding the right one?

civilservant

Family no doubt sponsored them. Family based immigration is unquestionably the easiest way into the US.

nun

The US is a country of immigrants and it is far easier to get a visa through family members or marriage than in the UK. Also there are many undocumented immigrants.

plugy

We are due to go to Florida September the 11th ( I know wife booked it and im not the most confident of flyers) where i will try and due some research and scope things out.

We currently are looking at the many pool cleaning business for sale any advice as we see there are lots already doing it, we are just desperate to get things moving life's to short to wonder what might have been.

civilservant

The reality is that the majority of capital from your house would need to be invested to have any hope of an E2. It's called the visa from hell too - for a good reason.

Yorkieabroad

Bear in mind when you buy a pool cleaning business, the main asset will be their list of clients. Be very careful how you value that.....

You say your wife works for Aldi....they are just moving into our area with 3 stores opened in the last 6 months.....don't know if they are already present elsewhere, or how their management structure is, but if she is senior enough, could she try to get a company transfer?