Pulaski

It seems obvious to me, having worked for businesses transfer people on a temporary basis, in both directions across the pond - "temporary" means "we're sending you to our affiliate for a time, at which point we expect you back here to take up a role we will have for you" - in the UK this would often be referred to as a "secondment". Whereas "permanent" means "your bridges are burned, we may take you back, but only if there is a suitable role for you".

Visas for either scenario are unrelated to how the employer and the employee see the transfer, the company can just pick which ever one the transferee qualifies for, though (presumably) a true permanent move would necessarily imply a green card application.

plastics

OK sorry maybe my use of terminology - our company uses the two terms differently - an expat contract is more on line of a short term assignment abroad 2-3years - you go to their affiliate office but continue to get paid on your current contract, usually get everything sorted for you -housing ,schools etc. The permanent local contract is that literally you become employed by the affiliate with a new contract on local T&Cs, as if you had applied and got the job whilst in the USA - your salary is adjusted to local market conditions but you then have to pay for everything yourself. This is interesting: https://mobilityexchange.mercer.com/...bile-employees
Will be going on L1 visa
Thanks for the Bucks county tip - will start having a look there too!

tht

Even if you are moving to a new contract you want to make sure they carry over your length of service if it impacts things like 401k vesting and vacation allowance. One other thing to keep in mind is that NJ is an “at will state” so if a firm wants to reduce headcount it’s not like the UK with redundancy and lots of protections... they can fire employees with no notice / cause. This is bad enough already, but for someone on a visa it means packing up in a few weeks and leaving which can be expensive if you have a lease on property and cars etc.. and the cost of moving home... make sure you are covered for all that in your contract.

https://www.nj.gov/labor/wagehour/co...oyer_faqs.html

Chins

I go to New Hope and Lambertville for a night out and they are nice places connected by a bridge you can walk over. As Peter says they can get busy at the weekends during summer. Quite a few bikers and people showing off their cars. Good option.

Chins

+1

Vesting was a new term for me as was 401k. Maybe different to the UK where my employer would pay 8.5% of my salary and I didn’t ha e to contribute anything into my pension. Over here they will match what I put in upto 5%. However for new hires it can take upto 5 years for the employer match to be 100% yours. With continuity of service from my UK employer I was fully vested from day one. I also made sure I was given an extended notice period. Downside is it doesn’t help if someone does headhunt me. Obviously a different situation with your visa, but I would cover off what you would get if the worst happens.

plastics

Thanks both, useful advice that I hadn't thought about at all!

plastics

Year on, and after all the Covid delays etc, we finally got our L1/2 visas and aiming for a move in March next year - still haven't found a place to live, the rental market is super limited and super pricey and hopefully will end up finding somewhere - trying to also find somewhere with a good free school makes it like searching for a needle in a haystack, so have had to bite the bullet and enrol into a private school...focusing in on Princeton/West Windsor and Princeton Junction areas...
Couple of other things now coming to mind - will need upfront capital payment as soon as we get there to buy cars - again it seems much more expensive than the UK, we have a 10 yr old approved used bmw x1 and 5 year merc cls shooting brake, both good with young kids - will prob get around £25k for them, around $35k - even if i top that up to $50k, lt doesn't seem enough to buy 2 pre-owned certified cars of similar size from bmw/merc - any tips on quality, reliable brands/models that are available as preowned certified but reasonable prices?
Secondly - anyone aware of any refresher/intensive crash courses to learn about driving in the usa - lthe road laws, or short practical practice courses, even online simulations, to get used to driving on the other side of the road!?
And in terms of electrical appliances - presumably no point bringing over the large TVs due to the voltage differences?
Thanks!

Chins

A lot of TV’s are dual voltage, especially ones bought in UK. Just take a look on the back of the TV. The last two TV’s we bought in the UK are in use here. The good news is TV’s are cheaper here

Cars are a nightmare at the moment as there is such a small supply of new cars so 2nd cars are fetching silly prices. The Supra I bought nearly a year ago I could sell for more than I bought it for. German cars will be horrible price wise. There should be lots of Hondas, Kia’s etc around though.

NJ has a drivers manual you can download. You need it to learn the different laws and by god there are some stupid ones. You also need to learn it to pass your theory. Practical not needed. The one thing I always tell myself when driving on the other side is body to middle of the road. You will also need to learn not to use your indicators, text whilst driving and generally not give a toss about anyone else. Expect people to move over three lanes in 100 yards ~ again without use of indicators. Final one is watch out for deer. They can make pheasant look intelligent, but do a lot more damage. If you see one run across the road expect a couple more to be in hot pursuit. I hate driving here and always look forward to a blast on British country roads.

tht

In terms of “good free school” I think NJ is the same as CT where towns fund the majority of the school budget from property tax’s, so while you are not paying school fees, if you you want to go to a specific school you have to buy/rent in a house zoned for that school, and have to move school if you move house. You then pay for it in your property tax directly or via your landlord who pays the property tax if you manage to find a rental in that area, that is probably even harder now than it was pre CV19.

Chins

Agree with tht. I bought my house in Skillman township as it has access to a highly ranked high school. If I want to rent it out at anytime it’s easy. Not easy to find places to rent here. My kids are grown up and in the UK, so didn’t need the high school for ourselves.

You should have better luck around Windsor/Princeton Junction as it seems to have a lot more of a transitory nature with lots of non citizens. However when a lot of people move here they seem to rent on an apartment complex before getting a good enough credit score to buy somewhere.

Lots of building work going on around the whole area, but again it all seems to be apartment/small townhouses.

plastics

Just been told that most dealerships in the area will require you to have a NJ driving licence to purchase a car?? And getting a NJ driving licence and SSN currently is fraught with significant delays with the Covid situation....is this correct? Seems like this is going to be a relocation from hell!

ddsrph

When it comes to drivers license usually driving out to a small town / rural area it’s much easier with little waiting.

Chins

My boss came in on a work visa a few years ago and didn't have his drivers license when he purchased his car. They put a temporary plates on your car for the first 30 days. If my memory is correct they needed his NJ license to properly register the car and they started chasing him hard about a week to ten days after purchase.

The challenge is getting your drivers license. NJ changed some of the requirements, but you have to have 6 points of ID and this includes proof of residency (not proof you are allowed to live in the USA - they dont care anymore). So you will need a signed lease agreement and to get to your 6 points of ID your passport and ideally a utility bill for your apartment. The biggest issue is they need proof of your SSN. I tried to renew last year. I had my passport, expired license, lease agreement, US debit card and utility bill and got turned away as I didnt have my SSN card or tax return showing it. One other pain is that even when they let you have a license they dont make it there and then in the office as its now posted you, so another delay - 5-14 days. As the previous poster says you can get appointments at different MVC offices to take your theory test, get your license etc. The ones round Princeton are busy, but Flemington usually has good availability and others closer to Philly (Omicron may have changed this).

So you wont get far without your SSN. I came in based on marriage and in theory triggered the production of my SSN when i first entered with my package from the US embassy. However that didn't happen and i had to wait a month before the social office would issue me one. Your visa may do it differently? Other will correct me, but coming to the US with your visa a month before you make the full move may help you have an SSN when you arrive. They will need an address for you. It may be different today than 4 years ago.

If you are getting a relocation package then getting your company to pay for a rental car for 6 weeks would be great. Don't rent from the airport, but one of the rental offices near Princeton.

mum 2 3

Usually true, but due to covid they have different dmvs doing different things so the one I like to go to for a license renewal no longer offers that and I have to go to the nightmare one instead.

Main thing for the drivers written multiple choice test for NJ is to learn the ages and restrictions for the young drivers. Because kids usually take the test in school it is highly weighted towards young drivers and the alcohol limits too. If you don't immediately see an answer that looks right you can skip the question as only need 40/50.

We had to get our NJ licenses to register the cars. Was a pain, take all ID you own, even more than they request because when you get there they will want more. L2s have to have the L1 there for them to accept the ID...

Princeton is lovely. My son used to swim, and long course (meters instead of yards) alternates meets between Princeton and Rutgers so spent many weekends there (on the side of a pool) did wander into town for a drink one afternoon during warm up, and a few times for meals.

plastics

Thanks for the further insights
Yes the company will give us 2 months temporary accomodation and car rental, although I wish I had pushed for 3 months now I understand the situation out there a bit better!
Hopefully all will work out in the end, but right now we don't even know whether we are going to buy or rent, the property market is terrible in terms of availability and we have only 2 months or so before we land and everything seems to revolve around this SSN - which we can't even apply for until we have been residing in the US for at least 2 weeks...