Mack

Dilemma!

I'm a UK citizen, sick and tired of this country, its culture, chavish behavior, larger-lout society, cold weather, bad food, hard cities and cynical people.

I'm selling my home, UK assets, and moving on -- in approx. 2 months.

Now, this is probably a ridiculous question to ask a forum of strangers (given that I can only really answer it myself), but if you had the choice between living in the US permanently (anywhere you wanted) OR living the life of a Perpetual Traveller and traveling the world over, which would it be?

The US option has the security and stability of a single place to call "home". You can build that dream house, get a car, get local friends, plug yourself into the community, enjoy whatever lifestyle you wanted, etc. You might even meet a girl and settle down.

The PT lifestyle perhaps has a little more excitement. You can go anywhere you want in the world, live in hotels and furnished apartments, run your business as and when you want, pay zero taxes to anyone, meet new people and enjoy experiences you may not get at a single location you call "home".

If you were young (mid-twenties), free and single, and had a job that allowed you to work from anywhere at no-one's beck and call, which option would you choose?

Or perhaps you've BEEN in this situation already? Which DID you choose?

Thanks, ~Mack

lj2

Seems a strange question to me - as a perpetual traveller you would still have to pay taes unless you ere planning illegalities. I am also pretty sure that the first thing people will say to you on here is "do you have a visa? Doesn't sound like you will be able to come out... etc etc". They probably have a point.

To answer your question though, surely the only point in being a PT is that you can choose to spend more time in places you enjoy than those you don't so be definition, this should provide you with a nicer place to live. My values however, are focussed on friends and family. Moving to the US, I would hope to make friends - real friends (and maybe a family, who knows) - but as a PT that would be very difficult indeed. So for me, I would rather settle somewhere.

Mack

Actually, that's incorrect.

Only the US, Philippines (and I think one other country) taxes their residents/citizens *after* they leave the country.

In the UK - as with most countries in the world - once you become non-resident and file the correct form, you're not longer obligated to report tax - or pay it - to your domiciled country.

A PT, by definition, travels around the world whenever he/she feels like it, usually spending anywhere from 1 month to several years in one place. For me, it'd likely be 3-6 months at a time.

The countries you visit don't tax you (you're a non-resident tourist), and since your business affairs are offshore in non-taxed jurisdictions, you pay nothing on those profits, either.

There's nothing illegal about any of it. You simply aren't liable to pay taxes to a country you no longer (at least for taxation purposes) "belong" to.

This is different for US citizens who, like I said, are subject to a government rule that's quite different from the vast majority of countries.

Mack

As for the visa thing, I hold a UK passport, which entitles me to travel around most parts of the world without a visa.

It seems you don't really have the correct definition or understanding of "PT" or the legalities surrounding it... I wouldn't be giving up a passport or rights to citizenship... I'd simply no longer be paying taxes to the UK because I wouldn't be living there.

Home would be anywhere I wanted, for several months at a time.

For example, I could do Canada for 6 months, US for 3, Australia for 3, pay no taxes anywhere, and time the seasons right so that it's great weather all round.

THAT is a PT lifestyle!

happynz

Do you plan to work legally in Canada, the US or Australia?

penguinsix

I thought UK residents had to reside overseas for a specific period of months (i.e. in one location) before they could claim overseas tax status? I think there are a lot of folks who have talked about doing the 'backpack' thing but if you don't end up with a fixed address overseas then you can't claim 'no taxes because I'm out of the country'.

But I'm sure someone hear knows the full story on that.

jay123

Hi, you do not have a choice about living and working in America. You can come for up to 3 months on your I.94 but then will have to leave. You can apply for an extention to stay longer with the American Embassey but its extremly hard to get a visa over here. America you can visit but as a permanent home it probably will not happen. Come visit its a great country.

christmasoompa

You are correct, it does entitle you to travel - however, it does not entitle you to work in any form. You have implied that you intend to work in the countries you have mentioned but for that you will need a visa, certainly for Canada and the US at the very least (I don't know about Oz as I'm not familiar with their immigration requirements).

Therefore, I think that you have misunderstood the visa question and it was probably about your possible plan to live in the US, rather than just travelling around the world. For that you do need a visa. So the question remains - do you have a visa that would entitle you to settle and live in the US? If not, your question is very easily answered as one option simply won't exist anymore!! And if you intend to work whilst travelling then you'll need visas for that as well so again, do you have those in place?

And for what it's worth, imo I wouldn't fancy being a PT simply because at some point you'd run out of money and have to return home! So it wouldn't work for me as I wouldn't fancy starting from scratch with housing, career, etc, when I return.

lj2

you would pay taxes in every country you stayed in. And on your travel between them. It's just life I'm afraid....

elfman

I'm a UK citizen, sick and tired of hearing other UK citizens run the place down continually.

and are British louts really larger than in other countries? Is it part of the overall trend in society towards obesity?

dbj1000

I predict that this thread will be rather fun. After all, the OP sounds charming.

Tracym

I think he is correct about the tax thing - called a "tax exile" from the UK. As long as he isn't in the UK much, he wouldn't have to pay the taxes, I'm pretty sure.

However, to the OP - on what basis can you make your permanent home in the US? You UK passport only entitles you to visit here for 3 months. To work here, or certainly live here permanently, you need a visa, which is not necessarily easy to get.

If you want some feedback here on visa possibilities for yourself to the US, you'll need to give some more information about your situation in order for folks to know what visa you might be eligible for.

Lord Lionheart

Ah yes, the security and stability of the US workplace. Exactly how I would describe it
No friends, and I'm still working towards that dream house................. have met a girl and bought a car though, could never have achieved that in the UK

dbj1000

He's got another thread going on EB5 visas in the Immigration forum. Seems convinced that Ray and Folinsky are wrong, and he's right, so that thread should be a bundle of laughs too.

Tracym

Hmmmm....

Might work, might not.

Folinksy isn't saying it won't work I don't think... just might not.