ash.russell

Hi all,

I'm currently in the process of applying for an E2 visa with the company I work for and I'd like some advice on salary and benefits.
It's my sister and her partner's company and they want me, on my own, to go to the USA and set up a branch of the company and essentially copy what we do over here in the UK.
They have asked me to tell me what salary I want.
Now, I have an idea of what that might be but I'm interested in what you guys might think is an acceptable salary to pack up your life and undertake a big responsibility like this?
I'm also interested in what benefits you think the company should be offering me? Should they be paying for my medical insurance, rent etc?
I appreciate every company is different so if anyone can let me know about their own experiences or things they have heard of through friends then that would be great.

Thanks,

Ash

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

Whereabouts is the job going to be based? That's key I think, for people to be able to suggest a liveable salary. Just you, no spouse or dependents?

Will it be for a fixed term, i.e. just for a couple of years, or will you be looking to move permanently? Your relocation package will depend on that too, for my husband's they do pay for a house, cars, etc, plus lots of other things if it's a true expat assignment i.e. for between 2 and 4 years. But they wouldn't if an employee were moving on to a local contract. Either way yes, you'll need medical covered. This Wiki article may help - https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Compa...on_Packages_US

ash.russell

Hey, thank you!
That's really helpful.
I am going to be based in Henderson, Nevada. I will be over in the US indefinitely too! I'd guess a minimum of 2 years but then it could be for the rest of my life.


thanks,

Ash

christmasoompa

OK. Can't help with the salary you'd need there, but I'm sure others with experience of living in the US will able to. Have you looked at comparable jobs on Indeed or similar websites to get an idea?

If you think you may want to stay permanently, then make sure your sister will sponsor you for a 'green card' down the line. It's a tricky one as it's family offering you the job, but if it helps our relocation package covers house rental, cars, school fees (may not be relevant for you), pet transport (again, may not be relevant for you), shipping, a tax free lump sum to cover incidentals (both ways), flights home each year for each family member (business class or we can trade down to premium economy and have 2 flights per year), full medical cover, a 'tax equalisation program' so that we don't pay any more tax there, rental furniture for 2 months, a week long recce trip, and various other bits. My husband will be staying on his UK contact, but gets an extra 5 days holiday each year for when we move, and he gets a cost of living adjustment on his salary which isn't taxable. I think it's a pretty generous package though, it's a big company who move people all the time, but if you don't ask, you don't get!

Best of luck to you, I'm sure those in the know will be able to help you suggest a suitable salary shortly.

scrubbedexpat099

General rule of thumb would be twice your UK salary plus a full benefit package including health insurance.

Temporary housing and rental car whilst you get yourself started. Relocation package.

Nutmegger

As the OP is being offered an E-2 manager position to set up a new branch of a UK company, is a green card even going to be an option?

And, OP, I'm interested as to why Nevada has been identified as the best place to set up the company.

tom169

Family aside, this is a business transaction and you need some things in writing. The most critical being a path to a green card. Plan for the scenario where you are here permanently before you get on the airplane.

tht

Where are you moving that allows all these tax free payments?

scrubbedexpat099

E2 can be renewed indefinitely as long as the business qualifies.

Perhaps the plan is to grow the business to that point?

steph0scope

Wouldn’t an L-1 be better from your perspective?

christmasoompa

It's a standard package for all employees, wherever they're moving to in the world. Quite common for big corporates, we've had friends who've moved with companies like Vodafone, Amazon etc, and they all offer the same kind of thing and 'gross up' anything that would be taxable.

ash.russell

Thanks for the input.
I had a quick chat with my sister earlier and listed some of the benefits that are common and she said that she'd rather just give me a salary that I'm happy with rather than paying for all these different things. She said they'd discuss it with her partner over the weekend and then we'd all talk about it together after the weekend. Not sure how i feel about that to be honest.

It's so up in the air how long I'll actually be there for that I haven't really considered needing a green card. I don't know if a green card is going to be an option at all to be honest.
The reason Nevada was chosen was because we need to be in close proximity to California but not pay the high taxes that CA demands.

civilservant

E-2 doesn't have a direct route to a green card... so the idea of being there forever is going to require something else happening.

I agree an L-1 would be much more attractive for OP.

That doesn't bode well.

steph0scope

The trouble is, unless you or your sister have previously lived in Nevada you have no idea what salary you would be happy with. And it’s not just about a salary you are happy with but job security, making the move worthwhile - after all, she is expecting you to abandon your life there, move to a place you know nothing about (even if you’ve been to Vegas regularly you’ve no idea about life in this country), with a very high cost of living and with no credit score so you will be paying over the odds on car payments, get stung for a high deposit on a rental apartment, etc - and she is not prepared to put in any effort on her part? It all sounds fishy. What does the company’s lawyer advise? I can’t imagine that an E-2 is the best option as well. Although an E-2 can be renewed ad infinitum if the business qualifies for it, it leaves you pretty much trapped as you have no direct route to a green card. You would also be tied to that business your entire working life. What happens when you retire? A green card is the obvious path if you are considering a permanent move. Hence the L-1 would be much better.

What field is the company working in? We may have someone here who works in the same field who can give advise re salaries, etc.

SanDiegogirl

Getting a company health insurance scheme is much better than having to obtain an individual one.
Premiums on a company health scheme can be offset for tax purposes - they cannot for individual policy.
Individual policies are more expensive, so you need to budge for monthly costs if no group plan.
Also company policies have better benefits usually; of course have no idea as to what this new company office entails. Is it going to be one man band, are you intending to hire people? What industry is it in?
Why an E2 and not an L visa?