NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

Hi

I am glad that i have found this great forum..it does help reading these.

Well i am in a dilemma.... i have a chance to stay in new york city..which i have wanted to do for a long time...with becoming USA citizen because i would be getting married to a usa citizen which we have been dating for 5 years..
Now the time has come to get married and i am so confused if i really want to go to New York.... I know i can only survive in New York because distance wise..ie travelling to London....also it is similar to London. London i do not want to let go...for various reason.. my family..
I want to hear from all Brits living in New York City...how did you feel when you moved there? Do you want to return back home?
If i do move there and become a citizen i would be coming back to UK for my soon to be husband to get a UK citizen...would he lose USA citizen? I know i would have dual..

It is so confusing...life in NEW YORK or LONDON

Any help Brits

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

I'm not a Brit, but I can tell you that your husband can also hold dual citizenship, just like you can. After you live in the USA the requisite number of years and become a UKC, you realize you BOTH must move to the UK so that your husband can become a UKC, right?

You do realize that you have to be a US Permanent Resident for at least 3 years before you can apply for US citizenship? So depending on what visa you come to the USA on (either K-1 fiance or CR-1 spouse), you're looking at about 3 - 5 years of living in the USA before you can apply for citizenship, plus the 6 months or more that it can take until you actually take the oath and become a USC.

You could always have your SO move to the UK first, and have him gain his UKC first, and THEN decide on whether to make the move to the USA or not.

My own personal opinion is that location is secondary in the big picture. If you love your SO, you are marrying him so that you can live together, wherever in the world that might be. What if you go to NYC, love it there, but a year later he gets a job in a small town in Alabama or something? It's not where you want to live, but wouldn't you still want to move there to be with him? I don't think you should limit yourself to ONLY NYC or London. People can and do move around for various reasons, and you're not always going to like where you live.

Best Wishes,
Rene

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

Which visa will you be using, as it makes a difference for your travel options in the beginning?

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

I would be using the spouse visa..has i do not want to break any laws with immigration.

I realise true love is more important than location but location is important too..you can suffer from depression if you do not feel happy in the surrouding.

If i do decide to stay in New York and get my citizen...which can take upto 5 years...can i come and go to UK and vice versa with my fiance... Maybe 3 or 4 times a year without effecting our citizen requirements.

Thanks

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

Yes, I think it's very important that you BOTH agree about where to live, don't just take the easiest path. Like you say, the long term ramifications can be huge.

If you go to New York with a spouse visa, you'll become a US Permanent Resident (green card). That means that your main residence is in the US. You can travel in and out as much as you like, and 3 or 4 'normal' length trips to the UK per year will not interfere with your naturalization eligibility.

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

So you'll be getting married first (anywhere in the world you want), and then immigrating to the USA roughly 8 - 10 months later.

As meauxna said, when you use your CR-1 Immigrant Visa to enter the USA, you will be come a US PR, and you will count 3 years forward from that date to apply for citizenship. Yes, you can take vacations outside the USA, although the USA will be your permanent home (at least until you become a USC).

Rene

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

Hi uk2ny,

my USC wife completed her UK Citizenship in November last year, and now holds dual citizenship. We're planning to move to the US (in in the next six months if things work out), where I hope to gain my US Citizenship. We will then both hold dual citizenship, and any children we have will also qualify for dual citizenship which could be a great advantage to them in later life.

During her qualification period we visited the US many times, and it doesn't affect your qualification, indeed I think it's very advisable, because your SO needs to see a lot of London life to be sure he wants to take that step when the time comes.

As to whether you live in London or NYC, as you point out, with cheap flights you can pop over for a weekend if you want to, especially if you have family to stay with in London (London Hotels being very expensive).

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

Clarified things for you :)

Good luck with everything.

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

hi guys.


Thanks alot for your advice...it has help me alot...i have no problem with going to new york has along has i get to visit my family whenever i want...thats was very important to me... How long can duration visit can be in london... can i come and stay 3 months for a visit..ofcourse only for first year has i know it would be hard to leave family...then i guess would be busy with my new life...can i study in usa?

When i get the usa citizenship...i am going to make my husband to the same... London and New York is easy due to flight time...cost of flights..since i have a huge family so i do not them to pay too much if they are visiting me.

Coming on this forum has made me feel so better and i can look forward to my new life..

One more question...what type of visa shall i have? I want to get married in UK. any tips

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

When do you think that you'll get "US citizenship"?

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

LOL, I took that as a given, as there's no shortcut route to US Citizenship, no matter how many hot dogs I eat. ;)

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

You will need to apply for a Permanent Resident Card (aka Green Card). For this you need a USC to sponsor you (i.e. to say you won't be living off the US taxpayer) If you are already to be married before the permanent move, then your husband is the obvious sponsor, but you will need to prove it is not a marriage just to get your green card.

Your SO doesn't need a Visa to come to the UK to get married as long as he is returning to the US afterwards.

Total visits to the UK can total 90 days in one calendar year, as I understand it, so you could come 3 times for a month each. Staying in the UK for 90 days a year might suggest you are not fully committed to a US lifestyle, though, and would make employment difficult.


You will need to do some studying of the US Embassy Visa Programs

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/index.html

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

Actually she'll need to apply for an Immigrant Visa.

Yes he does. A USC needs a special visa to get married in the UK, even if he's leaving the UK after marriage.

The OP is a UKC, she can spend as much time in the UK as she likes. How that will affect her PR status is a different story. She just needs to make the USA her permanent home, and visit the UK...but she can visit up to 6 months at a time, usually, without a problem.

It would only make employment difficult if she is employed. Then it would be difficult for her to get that much time off in one lump. As for suggesting not being fully committed to the US lifestyle...? What does that have to do with anything?

Rene

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

Yes, if you are a US PR, you can spend 3 months at a time outside the USA.

Yes.

Now you are talking about US Immigration through marriage to a USC, so you need to start posting these questions in the US Marriage-Based Visa section of this site.

Here's a hint though...since you want to get married in the UK, the one and only visa availble to you would be the CR-1 Immigrant Visa. Something for you to start your research on.

Rene

Re: NEW YORK OR LONDON
 

I have now been living in New York for just over a year and a half. To me there is no comparison with London - New York wins hands down. I had the misfortune of working in London for a year befor I moved to NYC. I found London dirty, depressing, bad mannered, agressive and expensive with a hopelessly inadequate transport system. Sure NYC has its issues but considering the concentration it has of different races, creeds and beliefs in such a small area I find it relatively friendly with an easy going optimism. To have the use of a subway and bus system which is reasonably cheap, efficient and not bursting at the seams is great having previously had to put up with the expensive, overcrowded shambles which calls itself TFL. NYC has an energy and a sense of 'anything can happen here' which London can only dream of.