robin1234

That may be an advantage of FL. In much of the US, the cockroaches prefer to live in your kitchen etc. In FL, they are just as happy outside, so inside by accident as it were.

Twinkle0927

So, your U.K. employer is transferring you here? Or have you done a google search for jobs in Orlando and found this one (interesting that Car Max in Orlando are advertising for exactly that position right now)? If it’s the former, the employer should be footing the bill for most, if not all, of your relocation expenses. I wouldn’t buy a house though as it’s possible that the move will not be permanent. As someone mentioned, there’s not much motivation for the employer to sponsor green cards for you as that means you can just resign and work somewhere else, after your employer has spent a fortune on immigration fees. So many employers prefer to have people on visas, because the person can only work for them and no one else. Kind of like a guarantee for the employer.

If it’s the latter, it’s a non-starter.

robtuck

To offer some balance, I moved on an L1A and my employer is sponsoring the move to a Green Card, as they have for others before me.

Pulaski

Per Twinkle's post #47, above, is your current employer willing to transfer you to a location in Florida, or are you planning on finding a job in the US and then having your new employer bring you into the US?

The two routes are very different, with different challenges and requirements for both your employer and you.
Nobody said it isn't possible.

civilservant

That's why you have a cat - it becomes their job

excpomea

Im beginning to think all this speculation and advice is moot.
Unless Nelly is American or married to an American there is no way in hell your going to get a visa to work for Carmax.

robtuck

We have two and they both just play with them. Cockroaches can provide minutes of fun when trapped in a Tupperware container.

Twinkle0927

Well, we don’t know that for sure. It’s just speculation that it’s the Car Max job. I just did a google search for “transport ops manager job in Orlando” and that was the top hit (and also reminded me I need to book my car in for an oil change). It just struck me as odd that he said they “intend to come here through employment” - would have thought anyone being transferred by their company would say so. Their threads normally start with “my husband has the opportunity to work at the office in ABC City ..” and their first question isn’t usually how to buy a house. They usually want more info on the area first - what are the schools like, good vs bad neighborhoods, etc.

PetrifiedExPat

According to a popular salary website, Transport Ops Manager pulls in $63k and change. If that is true, I would not move here for that position.

Pulaski

Neither would I, but that's borderline poverty for a family of six. By the time you have paid rent/mortgage, bought groceries, paid for utilities, funded two vehicles, paid health insurance and expenses you won't have much left over for anything else. .... Such as clothes.

Example figures - $63k will net to income of about $4,500/mth. Then deduct: cheapish house $1,500, groceries and household consumables $1,500 ($250/person/mth), utilities $300, cars $500 (used ones, and assuming you don't drive much), health costs $500 (assuming your employers coverage is generous and your family is in good health). That leaves $200 for everything else!

What about flights home/ holidays, clothes, entertainment ($200 wouldn't get the whole family into a theme park), savings for retirement, funding for college for the children????

Per my post #5 above, $100k gross household income would be a starting point for a family of six, just to adequately cover the basics!

excpomea

Sure glad I didnt read this back in 99.
Arrived with no job, nowhere to live, no car and a prayer.
First job paid $28K . Just about scrape your $100K poverty level nowadays. Thank God the wife is a nurse and about doubles that figure.

civilservant

I personally think the 'baseline' figure banded about here is a gross over estimation that has little to do with regional variance.

Pulaski

That's a great throw-away line, but which of my expense figures do you think is over estimated?

I have no doubt that many families of six survive on $63k, or less, but I'll be dämñed if I can see where they cut the corners, and I suspect that many are dependent on subsidized housing (which may have a waiting list of years, and wouldn't be open to new immigrants), or live in really poor quality housing, drive very cheap cars, and rely on family to provide after-school and holiday child care, etc.

In short, I am happy to believe that I am wrong, but rather than just saying so, please point out which of my expenses is massively overstated?

Actually, I do know how they do it - food stamps, food banks, clothing from Goodwill, cheap apartments, and no airconditioning. That would do it, but it is a looong way from the good life people are seeking by moving to the US.

Nutmegger

I arrived with my life packed up in one suitcase and no job in 1972, but it was a totally different era of immigration -- and unlike the OP, I didn't have four children, one of them with special needs, and serious pre-existing medical conditions. That is why people are advising caution.

scrubbedexpat099

Can we not give Melly some slack? Moving especially with 4 children is a time intensive issue and playing on discussion groups is unlikely to be a priority.