shanki

Hi , we are a family from essex and thinking of relocating to america through my husbands work. We will be going to Georgia Atlanta and looking at near by neighbourhoods, we like the sound of Alphretta,Marrietta and Roswell can anyone tell me what the local people and neighbourhoods are like ?
We have two children age 5 and 11 and are concerned about the change for them.
Would we all make friends ? how easy is this ? and would we be welcomed into local comunities ? ect.
I would be gratfull for any advice info anyone can give good or bad .
thanks

guyb

Hi - We are going to be in the same boat next year. My wife is from Marietta and we will be moving out with our new daughter (due in October.)

Marietta and Rosewell are really nice and Alphretta is lovely too. If you were thinking of Atlanta itself, you can't go wrong with Buckhead (although it's pricy).

There is a big british expat community in Atlanta. They are always organising events and get togethers. They are here [URL="http://brit.meetup.com/233/?gj=sj6"/URL]

ATL and Georgia in particular are really nice and tbh, we can't wait.

Good Luck.

Guy.

penguinsix

Hi,

Start here. If you can answer YES to any of the ways listed, then let us know and we'll move to the next questions you asked. (NOTE: The vast majority of people who want to move to the US cannot answer yes to any of the following).

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulask...ork_in_the_USA

shanki

yes my husband has a job potetial in Atlanta, i curently work as a childminder
and wondered if such a thing happend in america or is childcare mainly nursery's and day care ? At this moment in time we are just trying to get info on areas, people ect so any info that you have to share would be great .
thanks

ladyofthelake

Is this an offer from a new company or a transfer with a company he works for already?
If it's a new company, the visa is H-1B and your visa will be H4 which does not allow work at all. You would have to rely on one wage only.
It sucks big time.

shanki

It would be an offer from a new company , I did not realise i could not work though at the moment i work for myself as a childminder and was wondering if i could still do this . My two children are at school so would want to be home for them to we have discussed me not working and we would be able to do this we have quit a bit to put on a house and are looking for family orientated area's .

dbj1000

Get the visa sorted out before you worry about ANY of the rest.

If your husband's prospective job is specialised enough to be eligable for an H1-B visa then that's a start.

However, there are no more H1-B visas available to be applied for until April of 2008. The total number of H1-Bs will be massively over-subscribed, so if your husband applies for one it will effectively be a lottery whether he is granted a visa.

If he is granted one, then he CANNOT START WORK until October 1st 2008 at the earliest.

If he gets an H1-B then you would apply for an H4 visa, which does not allow ANY PAID EMPLOYMENT WHATSOEVER while you are in the US.

The H1-B visa is a 3-year visa, and can be extended once to 6 years. After that, in the current climate, your chances of a Green Card are slim-to-none, and you would have to leave the US.

If I knew all that I know now about H1-B visas, I would have thought long and hard before coming over here on one, I must say.

Silverdragon102

If going on H1b then a) you definately can not work even as a childminder from home b) visas usually go within hours of being released and a bit of a lottery to whether he gets one of not.

Celsius

As others have pointed out, get the visa(s) sorted out. Do you know exactly which visa your husband will get? If it's an H-1B, then you'll get an H-4 and that is a type of visa that does *not* allow you to work. Check on the USCIS website for clarification.

rbtuk

If your husband is relocating through his existing company - its more likely to be an L visa. With this type of visa you will be able to work in whatever job you like

fatbrit

Yep -- it's visa, visa, visa first. Anything else is pure and wasteful speculation till you get this bit sorted.

shanki

ok thanks for info will get visa sorted. does anyone know best places to live near Atlanta ?

shanki

Thanks Guy just seen your post thats really helpful congrats on baby

Mallory

The places you mentioned: Roswell, Alpharetta and Marietta are all very nice areas. All family friendly with very good schools. Housing prices quite affordable compared to other large cities. Marietta most affordable of the 3.

ladyofthelake

On an H4 you won't be able to earn any money at all. No childminding, no cash in hand, nothing.
The other thing to consider is how long you may be unable to work. Whilst the H-1B is good that you can convert to a Green Card if you decide you want to stay permanently, it takes many years for it to come through, and for that entire time you will not be earning. I've just escaped the H4 visa myself, and I've been here for 5½ years. Do you think you can manage for 5,6,7 years without a second wage? Do you think you can last that long without going slightly mad