JohnnyMac80

Hello America,

I'm moving to the US with my wife and two kids from the UK. I'll be coming alone first until I have a regular income and a place to live setup. We have a few locations in mind which are Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Illinois and Maine. I fly out for Maine in two weeks time for two interviews. I'm also waiting on a yes or no for a job in Michigan that I've done two Skype interviews for - the location of that job in in Wayne, so any advice on where would be a great place for us to live around that area as I've heard Wayne itself should be avoided. It would be good to hear from anyone from any of the states mentioned above for advice on the best places to live for familes within each of these states. Also I would be very grateful for any job leads that I could follow up on. My experience in administration lies within the building, maintenance and construction industry and most recently over the past couple of years facilities management industry - admin is admin though whatever the industry. Every option is on the table though! I'm also a Pipe band snare drummer so I would also like a Pipe band to play in when I get there!

I'll hopefully hear from you all soon!

Cheers,
Johnny Mac.

Guindalf

The first question is an obvious one. What qualifies you to live and work in the US?

If you have no immediate claim to come (USC or married to one), are the companies you are interviewing with aware that they will have to sponsor you to the tune of several thousand dollars and months of waiting, and only possible if you have a skill that is not easily available here? As you said, admin is admin and my guess is they are two a penny.

Bottom line is, if you are relying on a company to sponsor you, it most likely ain't gonna happen.

Sally Redux

It seems you have a Green Card but it's not clear how long you have been living outside the US.

JohnnyMac80

Hi Guys,

Sure yes. I have an I-130 greencard. My Dad is an American although resides here in the UK. I never stay outside the US for more than 6 months at a time.

christmasoompa

And your wife and children have greencards too I assume?

Best of luck with the move.

JohnnyMac80

My wife and kids have visas yes.

Noorah101

This in and of itself does not mean you didn't abandon your PR status.

Rene

JohnnyMac80

who knows, ill find out in 2 weeks time when i arrive back in the US.

Steve_

Maine, not much there, crap weather during the winter. Michigan, economy is in a shambles. Illinois, bit of a broad subject, I'm sure there are plenty of opportunities in Chicago but their govt. is a mess. Nevada, no water, high property taxes. Largest city is Las Vegas.

So I'd say Arizona is the best choice out of those five. Especially if your job is admin, endless condo complexes.

NatashaB

Michigan also has crap weather in the winter. Personally if I could, I'd live somewhere else! I'm not too familiar with Wayne other than the airport, we're in Oakland county which is reasonably nice and has good schools.

Bob

Bit of a mix, 2 really hot states, 3 winter snow dumps

Construction is a lot different in the cold clime states to the UK.

Maine would probably have the lowest cost of living of those states that has decent construction type industry and you've got places like Cianbro - http://www.cianbro.com/ who are massive employers, HQ'ed in the middle of bloody nowhere though, but it's a good place for kids.