Hi.

I am planning to eventually move to Seattle. Of course everything depends on a few things from my end but ultimately, I will be moving to Seattle from the UK.

having never done anything like this, or moving at all (I have only moved once in my life - from my parents into my own place with their help).

I was hoping people who have experience here could kindly give some advice here.

1) what is the best way of moving from where i live to the USA? I have alot of stuff, mainly boxes of computer equipment, clothes, desks (custom made which I need) etc...


2) Apartment hunting - I am unsure if I can afford to buy (you would think its cheaper in the US to buy compared to the UK. Even though I am more eligable to be able to afford to buy in the US, still I am not "rich"!). So if I am looking for a single bedroom apartment (non shared), then what should I be looking out for? What sort of "bills" are included or any other "tax"/"fees" I need to pay? how much do they typically cost and where is the best area? I am looking for close to ammenties (shops etc...)


sorry for the questions. I just want to do my research and be clued up on this. I am somewhat scared but I need all the help I can get

The one important factor you didn't mention is which visa you will be receiving in order to move to the USA.

Not that we are ignoring your real questions...but if you won't have an appropriate visa, all the other questions are irrelevent.

Rene

I agree. all you need to know is that there will be a visa in place
will be getting married and then will be immigrating over to the US to be with my girlfriend/hopefuly future wife

Can't your fiancee help you with information on apartment hunting or house buying? Seems that you would trust her advice, rather than a bunch of strangers on a forum! If Seattle will be new to both of you, then the advice is to rent and get to know the place before thinking about buying.

Thanks, that actually does help a lot.

If you're getting married first, and then immigrating, it will be an Immigrant Visa...and she'll be your wife.

If you're not getting married first, then you'll be getting a K-1 fiance visa. She'll be your fiancee when you immigrate.

Rene

Noorah - yes, im aware of that But the question isn't about visa but rather about moving.

Sure, I do trust her however I dont want to rely on her all the time. as a man, I should find out these things too you know? She knows more sure but lives elsewhere and I will be living elsewhere due to work. Long story short - I will be seeing her as much as I can and she understands as we both need incomes to support the family and each other. She also doesnt know much about the whole renting thing - someone else "took care of it" in her previous relationship.

Because where I will be working, hopefully, will be in Seattle - she lives a while away (about 1.5 hours). so it makes sense for me to live during the week in Seattle and see each other at the weekend. of course, this isnt a long term thing.

Besides, she doesnt know about translantic moves! And I need to know what the best way is of me having to move my things over there and generally speaking, what I should be looking for in terms of renting an apartment, how much it would typically cost, what other taxes/fees/bills I would need to pay with the rent?

She asked a fair question. Some people come on here thinking all they need is a passport and they're all set - and it's a waste of time answering questions about dog food prices if they're never going to be able to move. But now you've enlightened us we can move on to your questions.

There are a ton of threads on moving, and there are articles in the Wiki too. I'm sure there was a thread on living in Seattle not so long ago. One thing to consider with your custom made desks and a one-bed (or studio) apartment is will they fit? Or does your GF have somewhere she can store them?

You might get basic cable in your apartment, possibly even low quality internet. Almost certainly you'll pay for electricity, gas if you have it, but maybe trash and water will be included in your rent, maybe not. You'll need renters' insurance, though that's cheap. Maybe you'll get a parking space, maybe you have to pay for it. All depends on the apartment.

No problem, I just didn't know how much research you've done on the visa part of it. I'm glad you mentioned the "living apart" scenario. If you haven't yet decided on which visa to go for, I highly suggest the spouse Immigrant Visa rather than the K-1 fiance visa. Reason being is that with the Immigrant Visa you become a US PR upon entry, and will have no more paperwork to do until almost 2 years from your date of entry. Living apart during this time will not make much difference, you can still easily document your life together, even while spending time apart like that. But...with the K-1...after you enter the USA you will have to apply for Adjustment of Status (AOS), which involves really making it clear at your AOS interview that you are in a bonafide marriage, and did not enter the USA for immigration benefits only. You'd have to decide which city is really "home" to the both of you, and you'd have to have your AOS interview in that city, where both of you would attend. You'd have to have shared documentation that you both live in that city. More difficult to do on a K-1 rather than Immigrant Visa.

I was/am in the very same scenario. My husband entered on a K-1 and then had to go to Los Angeles for work after only 3 weeks in Phoenix (where we live). We also said it would be temporary, but it's been just over 8 years now. He spends most of his time in LA, and comes home for long weekends every 3 or 4 weeks. We had no problem with his AOS, but in general I think an Immigrant Visa would be easier to navigate in this scenario.

Good luck to you...sorry I can't help with the moving questions...but if you have any visa questions, you can post over in our US Marriage-Based forum.

Rene

Look up international moving companies on the internet, people like Pickfords, and get a few to come and look at your stuff and give you a quote to ship from the UK to Seattle. When they give you a cost, you can then decide if it really is worth it.

Seattle is very expensive. 1.5 hours which way does your girlfriend live? Are you coming to a job in Seattle? If not, then you'll be better off finding someplace to live further south or north out of the commuter belt. Good luck renting a place without a job, unless you are bringing a fair amount of money with you.

An apartment rent would typically include water (well it used to) and some are all electric, so you wouldn't have to pay gas. It could very well cost you $1000+ a month, but again it depends on where you rent. Rents, utilities, etc are so variable.

I presume it is temporary until you sort your life out and get married and work a way to live together, so I would suggest Capitol Hill, the gay and student quarter, convenient, lots of amenities. Good for a couple without kids. Good place for cheaperish with good location, just up the hill from downtown.

Capitol Hill is east of downtown, you might want to avoid the area known as Central District which is also east of downtown.

In Seattle, North is posher, Ballard and Fremont are also popular with younger more affluent types.

South is less posh. South-East is getting a bit lumpen in parts, and I recommend that you do not move there until you have lived in Seattle for a while and so can be more discriminatory about neighborhoods.

Oh yes, Bell Town is right on the edge of downtown and has lots of apartments, quite a growing community

firehawk.......i have a few friends that live in seattle and my daughter lives in bellingham.......they all love it there......rains alot i hear....lol......but i hear its a very diverse open minded place to be.........as for moving and what to expect.........i cant help you with the movers part but what to expect........rental on apartments are usually first and last months rent with an additional deposit......theres electric, water, gas, cable, phone, internet, automobile/gas, insurance, health insurance, food, and entertainment....oh and your annual IRS maheim....lol.....there are some great package deals on cable, phone, and internet with very good calling plans for you to keep in contact with your family.........im from the south so cost of living is much more in that area.......when i visited my daughter i noticed grocery store items were almost double in price......i wish you the very best in your new adventure........maybe we can meet up next time im in wa state.......steff

Check out this article for different options for moving your things to the USA... hope it helps!

http://britishexpats.com/articles/mo...hods-shipping/

Welcome to BE and congrats on the impending wedding!

Definitely have a search of BE, plenty of moving threads on the subject, but there are also quite a few good wiki entries up top on things to bring, what not to and things to ask the moving companies.

As for where to live, I'm sure there are previous threads on Seattle that'll make a good starting point and also check out city-data.com for good info.

Regarding the moving stuff from the UK to the US, I cannot help you there. For me it was just a suitcase and teabags ;o) But once your stuff is here, you can stick it all in Public Storage, or into your new place if you have one by then.

When I first got to the US, I booked myself into an Extended Stay America hotel. They're like hotels, but for longer staying people. The longer you stay, the cheaper it gets. The place is like a studio suite complete with kitchen.

If you want advice from the locals of Seattle itself, check out craigslist (www.craigslist.com) and start posting up there. You'll get advice from the locals themselves. People also advertise places to rent etc up there. Might help.



BTW, did you know Bruce Lee is buried in Seattle?