Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

Hi to all on the British Expats site, looking for any information & advice about living in Mobile, we have been looking at buying a property in the MCVOY area. Born in the east end of London but now in Romania, my wife wants to work so any advice in that area would be welcome along with schools for our five year old daughter. Why Alabama ? Wish I knew the answer to that, just feel it's the place for us, I have read a lot about the people there & I like what I find. Biggest unknown for me will be medical insurances for the family & general property insurances .
Think that's enough for now, thanks in advance for any help anyone has to offer.
Regards Cockney Joe

Re: Any Brits in Alabama
 

What visa are you using ?

Re: Any Brits in Alabama
 

Hi Steve,
visa at present B1& B2, but my wife is talking with the embassy regarding purchasing a business in the Mobile area, we have also contacted an immigration lawyer within the US recently, haven't had much response from them as yet, if you know any better way forward we would be grateful for your thoughts. We do not have an embassy in the part of Romania where we live, you must travel to the capitol for this.
To be honest we find out so much more information from people who are willing to give us some good advice and sometimes it can be a real help.
Our time zones here are well different to yours, so excuse for the delays in writing back.

Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

Hi to all on the British Expats site. I have only joined recently & I am sure I started in the wrong place, sorry about that, I will try to do it right this time !!
We are looking for any information & advice about living in Mobile, we have been looking at buying a property in the MCVOY / Dog river area, would love to know what people think of this zone? I was Born in the east end of London but I now live in Romania with my wife wants & our five year old daughter, we would also be happy to here about schools in the area, eventually my wife would like to work within the medical proffession, please God. Why Alabama ? Wish I knew the answer to that, just feel it's the place for us, I have read a lot about the people there & I like what I find. Biggest unknown for me will be medical insurances for the family & general property insurances .
Thanks in advance for any help anyone has to offer.
Regards Cockney Joe

Re: Our new life in mobile
 

Hi, and welcome to BE.

You mention Alabama, so I assume Mobile is in the USA?

If so, do you have a visa or are you US citizen's? I'm sure you're aware that getting a visa is pretty tough (or impossible) for most, so hopefully you have a way of getting there. You can look here for info on visas - Pulaski's Ways: How to Live and Work in the USA : British Expat Wiki

And I'd suggest you ask your questions in the US forums, I'll move this thread now for you so that hopefully you get more responses.

Best of luck with it.

:)

Re: Any Brits in Alabama
 

You need to study this before making any decisions, your plan will just not work for long time living in USA.

Pulaski's Ways: How to Live and Work in the USA : British Expat Wiki

Re: Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

Thank you kindly for your help & thoughts

Re: Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

As said you need a visa in order to live in the US - and you have to obtain this prior to moving.

So until you decide which visa you qualify for (work/investment/family) little point in going through the finer details of where to live, schools etc.

Re: Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

Welcome to BE and good luck!

Just realise that chances of getting a visa to the US are pretty slim.

If you're in a high tech/science type of occupation, you might have a chance, or a company transfer, following having a large bundle of cash.

Re: Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

For most people they're not even that good.

Routes to a visa are primarily: US citizen (close) family members, work transfer, or buy/invest in a business - you need to be thinking at least $200k for the investment, and at least $100k for start-up and to tide you over until the business gets up and running. For more details, take a look at the two Pulaski wikis in the US section of the Wikis tab above.

Re: Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

What sort of business are you looking at buying? Not sure what the presumably US Embassy has to do with this? Could you clarify.

Re: Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

Do you (and your wife) already have a B-1/B-2, or have you just applied for one?

Are you (and your wife) eligible for the VWP?

Re: Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

Hey Cockney Joe,

I moved to Mobile, Alabama in September last year from the UK. Mobile is an up and coming area and I guess within in 10 years will be a great place to live!

A lot of people who work in Mobile don't actually live there, a lot of folks live on the Eastern Shore (Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope, Foley, Loxley)

Spanish Fort has a great public school system but housing can be rather expensive on the eastern shore for this reason.

There are also GREAT private school's, Bayside Academy being one of them.

Southern Hospitality really does exists and people are really friendly down here. You will even find a lot of Europeans living down here due to large company's relocating over here.

As the others have said your visa is your main concern, but happy to help were I can. Even happy to meet up and give you a tour around the place.

PM me if you have anymore questions.

Thanks
Nick

Re: Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

Hi Nick, great to here from you, I was beginning to think of people where only interested in my immigration status, you have given me some information & I am very grateful for that, thank you, I here what you say about the other areas, I have my eye on a property in the Mcvoy area which is close to the Dog River, I can come there on my own to work on the place & hopefully when I am happy the family might be ready to follow. I know about the visa situation & all is in hand with that side of things, we are lucky to be in a position to pursue the investment side of things if required, whatever we end up doing I will let you know & perhaps I will meet up with you in the future, I will pm you the next time as you suggested, good luck mate & thanks again.

Re: Our new life in Mobile, AL
 

Joe, if you had given that info on the visa side of things at the start, you would have had a lot more replies about what you were asking, when people just post on here as you did at the start, most of the people replying will first ask about the visa situation as that is a basic requirement, you didn't reply to any of the posts stating that that side was all sorted, so people may well have thought you were someone just messing about. Those people who have replied earlier may well have some germane info, but wouldn't post info that might, ultimately, be useless without the visa situation being sorted. Some may now have disconnected from this thread and will not know you visa situation, so you might well have shot yourself in the foot as to getting the info you need.