Nutmegger

- Cash moving allowance (to buy white goods etc) What do you mean by white good excatly? Bed linens, comforters, towels, kitchen towels, etc.

- Tax preparation for year of transfer and first full year - Do you mean with maybe an accountant or someone of the like?
Everyone in the US has to file tax returns, federal, state, sometimes city, every April 15 -- a CPA (accountant) will be a great boon to help you figure out your first one

Nutmegger

LOL -- I call those small electrics and think of sheets, etc. as white goods! But he'll need the lot!

Bink

Right, whatever you want to call it - you need to ensure you have them all anyway!

mmac88

Ahh I got you now. Yea I will be renting to start with and like you said hopefully will come with the basics.

On the other front I'm kinda lucky that my friends mom has just totally redecorated and has offered me her bed, with ample pots pans plates bowls cutlery. That kind of thing. Towels and stuff also. I have just recent bought a new television here in uk. But will sell that and keep the money aside for one when I arrive.

Thanks again for all the help. A lot of this I hadn't thought about

The Horticulturalist

Yeah, the only electrical thing really worth bringing would probably be your laptop if you have one, they are dual voltage.

Some monies toward buying basics would be good, it all adds up!

mmac88

Okie so i have alot to be getting on with and trying to see what i can get out of this.

The other question i had was, if im going out in september, it will no doubt bo on the VWP, but would this at all be effected if they haave already sent off my L1A Petition?

Steve2.0

Fragomen the firm dealing with my L1A visa advised me to not travel in the weeks before submitting the application as that could be detrimental and definitely not to travel whilst the application is be processed.

Currently waiting on visa approval before we go out on our first trip to Seattle, but my employer fully understands our position and accepts I won't be starting my job straight after receiving the visas.

Steve

mmac88

Ahhh this is not great news, as the trip was already pre-planned and booked in June. I will have a word with the law firm who are dealing with it and see what advice they can give me.

The Horticulturalist

Mac,

Not an expert by any means on this, I also found this L1 Visa info online which would agree with what the previous poster has said. Any chance they could rapidly pull the trip forward a few weeks so that your application could be submitted as soon as you get back?

Others here may have had a different experience with this though, perhaps someone will let you know later.

Here's the link

Q. Can the alien come to the USA on a visitor visa or visa-waiver while the L1 petition is being processed?

A. This is possible but not advisable, and under no accounts should the alien risk putting in jeopardy the issue of an L1 visa by engaging in anything that might be construed as work, as this may lead to the alien being accused of visa-fraud either on entry to the US with a visitor visa/visa-waiver or when applying for an L1 visa at the US consulate in their own country.

MtbbikeVanlife

I was in this position last year.....

In January 2011, I visited the US for 4 days with 2 colleagues to view potential sites for our business - we travelled on the VWP and our US Lawyers provided us with a "back pocket" letter that we could produce at our POE should we have any problem. Basically the letter explained who we were and what we were doing in the US.

In February the US Lawyers then started the ball rolling on my L1 Visa application and I subsequently received said Visa in August 2011.

However before receiving the Visa I revisited the US in June for 1 week to interview for staff and then in July for 3 weeks to set up the warehouse. In each case I travelled on the VWP and was provided with a "back pocket" letter by our US Lawyers that again explained who I was and exactly what I would be doing whilst in the US on that particular trip.

What good these "back pocket" letters would have done if I had been questioned I'll never know, as I cleared immigrations smoothly each time.

Not sure if this helps !

Carl.

mmac88

This seems a clearly grey area. On travelling in September i will have no real contact at all with my employer, its merely to have a look around the area, maybe view some potential households but nothing at all in the slightest to do with working.

I dont think anyone will have a definitive answer at all, so will speak with the lawyers and see what route to go down.

Thanks again for all your input

Bink

Unless you move across on the 1st January, you will have to deal with both US and UK taxes on your US tax return for that year. It can be quite complicated based on your individual circumstances and is best done by a CPA (accountant) who is familiar with expats and dealing with foriegn tax. Any foreign (British) tax you've paid in the calendar year can be applied as foriegn tax credit but it's worth ensuring it's all taken care of properly.

mmac88

Great, it all sounds very complicated. I will definietly look into getting someone on boarrd who can help me out, becuase id be lost without someone pointing me in the correct direction

Bink

It's one less thing to worry about if it's being taken care of by someone that knows what they're doing. It's also a pretty normal thing for companies to take care of when transferring someone to the US.

rebs

+1 on getting professional help with your tax.

Also on the tax, make sure that they 'gross up' any expenses they pay, so the employer pays the tax due on those amounts.

On the house hunting trip, I've known a few people do the house hunting trip while the L1 was in progress and they had no issues. We did ours after we had been given our visas, but that was purely because it suited our timetable.