PatP

I wondered if it would be possible for me to live in the US (preferably permanently) with my UK state pension as income. If my UK state pension (equal to just over $200 per week) is insufficient, I could also include rent from a UK property, which could be at least an additional $650 per week. How much income do I need to obtain permanent US residence? And what is the best way to approach this, re the legalities, visa, etc?
Many thanks!
PatP

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

The kind of figures you've mentioned won't come close (or indeed, even cover your healthcare probably!), for an investment based visa you'd need $500,000. If you don't have those kind of savings, then you can look at other visa options on this Wiki page - Pulaski's Ways: How to Live and Work in the USA : British Expat Wiki

HTH, good luck.

PatP

Many thanks for the response. Having looked at the Pulaski's Ways page, my hopes are somewhat quashed. How many times a year can I visit the US for 3 months as a tourist? Would it help me if I purchased a property in the US?

Regards,
PatP

christmasoompa

The US is one of the toughest countries to move to unfortunately, sorry to quash your hopes. Owning a property doesn't help at all.

You can attempt to visit on the VWP as many times as you like, although the advice is always to spend at least as much time outside the US before attempting to reenter i.e. if you spent 85 days there (the limit is 90 days, but best not to cut it that fine in case of flight cancellations etc), then you should spend at least 85 days outside of the US before trying to go back. And of course, entry isn't guaranteed, so if the immi officer thinks you're not a genuine visitor or are trying to live in the US without a visa allowing you to do so, then that might mean you end up being refused entry, so don't plan to spend too much time there.

But as you are of retirement age, it might be worth looking at a B-2 visa, which would give you up to 6 months rather than 90 days (again, making sure you don't risk getting refused by trying to spend too much time in the US though). Have a hunt through the forum for info on that visa which would at least mean you could spend half the year in the US.

And hopefully the forum pros will be along shortly to help you out, they may have a suggestion for you.

Good luck.

scrubbedexpat099

Might want to look into the availability and cost of Travel Insurance for that period, do you have somewhere to stay?

removalizer

I thought us Brits were given a special waiver to enter the US ?

scrubbedexpat099

To visit

Max 90 days

PatP

That's very helpful. Thank you!
PatP

PatP

David, Thanks for the comments. I actually wanted to do a fair bit of traveling within the US, but I do have friends in the US who would probably be willing to offer me somewhere to stay. Would this improve my chances of admission?

PatP

Noorah101

No, not really. The POE officer doesn't care if you're staying with friends, family, or at a hotel.

Rene

Pulaski

To answer part of the original question, assuming some way to get a visa (which he/she doesn't appear to have), as a new immigrant of retirement age you would need to budget at least $1,000/mth for health insurance and another $1,000/mth for non-covered medical expenses (excesses, copays, and excluded expenses). Some states might allow you to sign up for subsidized health insurance, but that would probably only cut your budget figures in half.

To put that in context, a figure often mentioned in retirement planning is that Americans should plan for health care expenses (including insurance premiums) during retirement, of $250,000!

Rete

You allowed to use the Visa Waiver Program if you are eligible but that is it. Do US Citizens get special waivers to enter the UK? No. If they are eligible, they get to use the VWP as well. Only difference between the 2 is that a USC can visit the UK for up to 6 months and a UK Citizen can visit the US for up to 90 days.

There is no such animal as a retirement visa to the US.

bewildering

I would also add that it is tough to get health insurance for some elderly visitors. My parents cannot get health insurance to visit for only 3 weeks due to an old health condition. We even tried some independent insurance brokers, rather than the standard travel insurance sites. No luck.

PatP

Thanks again for the replies. Health insurance is not a legal requirement, is it?
PatP

christmasoompa

No, but anybody would have to be completely insane IMO to not have it, given a single incident/hospital stay could bankrupt you without it.