Frustrated American Wants to Move to London... Advice?

i know this post is like 3 years old, but i'm where you are now. except in arkansas...25 with a bs in psychology, working as a waitress, dying to live in london. i'm wondering if you ever made it over there?

Wow!!! Lady you have just hepled me out a lot... Hope you are a honest person.... Thanks... Reo

Hello everybody:) I am a Bulgarian citizen (meaning i can stay and work in Uk with no limits), who is married to American from Minneapolis. We decided to move to London, but there is no clear information about my spouses chances to work there. I studied in London for 3 years and i am very familiar with the lifestyle and how everything works . I was just wondering if anyone knows what hubbys chances are . He works for Costco , which has few locations in London as well. Will appreciate very much your responses.

Ekaterina

You should check with UK Border Agency.

Hi...

I was reading your post about the UK. I desperately want to leave the US and come there... any suggestions? As I am probably twice your age .. and have no idea how to start this process...

thank you
Lis
[email protected]

The best place to start Lil is to wonder why you desperately want to leave the US and come to this dump. Everybody says that the US is the most wonderful country in the world. And half of us are on a hosepipe ban in only March.

What is it that attracts you to our way of life? You might have acquired some incorrect impressions about us.

I been reading this thread and had start wondering if you are a US citizen if you could get into the UK indirectly by way of an EU country that are easier to get a resident paperwork to.

Or by way of Canada or......................

Nope. Doesn't make any difference. There aren't any EU countries where it is easier to get "resident paperwork", and as for Canada, their citizens are treated more or less the same as US ones.

Why does contrex get a thumb down on a correct answer ?
For a person with no citizenship within EU it is difficult to get a working permit.
There are other rules for someone coming to study - but again paperwork paperwork....

Because some people don't like to hear the truth, which is that it is very difficult to come to live and work in the UK. You can come for a vacation, but you need to be prepared to prove that you can support yourself during your stay, that you will go back at the end of your vacation, that you have checkable ties with your homeland (a home address, job, school, etc) This may mean showing a return ticket, letter from employer, etc, and if the UK Border Agency officer believes you are planning to stay, they can send you back on the next plane. Every year several hundred US citizens get 'bounced' in this way. Statistically it is mostly single women in their 20s. Often they are having an internet "romance" with a British guy and they feel it's OK to lie at the border about their plans. They say they are visiting a "friend" or coming to see "the castles". The border agents can detain you and search your baggage, read your diaries, check your phone, read your Facebook pages, etc. They are very, very good at spotting the likely ones, often when they are way back in the queue for the immigration desk. If you are shown to be "using deception", and this can include being less than fully truthful, you can face a 10 year ban. A lot of people seem to have this idea that you can just "move to the UK". It ain't so.

OK how about a fiancee visa?

Aa even the US allow that means of entering the US if a US citizen is engage to a foreign national.

Second question how about all the emigration problems from the third world I been hearing England is having up to riots and terrorists attacks from first generation citizens?

Seem a fair number of third world people are being allow to settle in England or am I missing something?

I know that it is not so easy to get into UK without being checked even as citizen in a EU countty.
I think it was in Heathrow, but it might have been another air port where they had three possibilities EU citizens - Non Eu citizens - Others. Others had no one waiting so I went there - even though I live in a EU country.

You can't be "engaged" to somebody you've never met. A couple has to prove that they have met in person and have a genuinely subsisting relationship, that they have enough money to live on, that they are both over 21, that they plan to marry (e.g. a ceremony booking), and the fee is quite steep, 810 pounds, (1270 US dollars).



I haven't got the time to address all the crap in that question. If it is a question.



Yes, you are missing plenty.

,

Big deal the man or the woman have a short visit as fares across the Atlantic are not all that high.

Mail order/internet order brides are not that uncommon in the US and normally the man will fly to Russia or where ever for a short in person meeting.



Seem that large scale immigration from the third world is being allowed and also such settlement are causing some problems.

Strange giving such a hard road to first world persons who wish to settle in the UK and yet this degree of settlement of third worlders is ongoing.

http://southernnationalist.com/blog/2011/08/06/immigrants-riot-in-london/

Immigrants riot in London
August 6, 2011By Michael We have another demonstration of the great benefits of mass Third World immigration into Western nations. In addition to crime and poverty, mass immigration also apparently brings social unrest and riots. London, which has long been an experiment in bringing people from all over the planet and putting them in same city together, was the scene of riots this weekend. We are constantly told that Third World immigration “enriches” the West and brings “diversity” to our societies. The native English people of London – those who have not fled to the suburbs – doubtlessly have a different perspective this weekend after the north of their capital was turned into something that resembled a scene from Mad Max. A BBC report on the aftermath of the riot completely censors any information about the racial nature of the violence. Here are pictures of the destruction caused by the rioting immigrants as they set fire to public and private property and destroyed buildings. Police have deployed extra officers in “deprived” areas of the city (which is politically-correct speech for the non-English Third World areas) to prevent further violence and rioting

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2027973/More-150-people-caught-rioting-swept-UK-foreign-nationals-deported.html

Hundreds of foreigners arrested for their part in the riots now face deportation.

Immigration Minister Damian Green has promised foreign rioters and looters will be thrown out of Britain at the ‘earliest opportunity’.

Around 150 of the 2,800 people arrested over the looting and arson attacks were born abroad, according to the UK Border Agency.
Deportation: Riot police face a mob in Hackney, north London on August 8, and the Government has pledged to deport any foreign nationals involved in any of the civil disorder
They include a failed asylum seeker who is accused of looting clothes and cash from a branch of department store BHS in Walthamstow, East London.
Tough line: Damian Green, Immigration Minister says that foreigners will be deported 'at the earliest opportunity'
Algerian national Abderazak Boussag, 23, was arrested after police found the fingerprint of his teenage co-defendant at the store and raided his home in Leyton.

Yesterday Immigration Minister Damian Green said: ‘We strongly believe that foreign national lawbreakers should be removed from the UK at the earliest opportunity.
‘We also have the power to cancel the visas of foreign nationals found guilty of criminal activity, and this is something we will be looking to do when cases arise.
‘Last week saw unprecedented criminality on our streets and the courts are now dispensing firm justice to ensure those responsible are punished.’
The move has re-ignited the row over tough sentences being handed to children and adults who took part in the disorder.
Yesterday Bradford East MP David Ward accused Mr Green of headline-grabbing.

‘This almost seems to be a competition to see who can come out with the most macho response' Mr Ward said.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:Ql3FsQPZOXsJ:www.police-foundation.org.uk/files/POLICE0001/publications/Terrorism%2520Review%2520final%2520WEB.pdf+background+of+terrorists+uk+bus+first+generation&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjmRD9tbQj6gxwS-wFzHWOG4m5evLFNRQrj4TpHzdh0-epEhJXsBnocITKzeqWEU5VrjDpUywstWGXyW27g5ePYpkuIM2kPOtBvMNtNJ_KIpQj3m-TUPlGxq7zkCfCLN4eg7CmB&sig=AHIEtbQHHsSk60Z81gj40k596hBf0dTIlw


Radicalisation of UK citizens into violent Islamism

There is no straightforward pathway into violent Islamism or support for it, and individual recruits show
a very broad range of socio-demographic characteristics. There are also no clear links between
radicalisation into violent Islamism and an individual’s deprivation or frustrated ambition, as a relatively
large proportion of violent Islamists have been students and graduates. However, increased adoption
of a collective pan-Islamic identity amongst young British Muslims appears to connect the less
deprived to the plight of their fellow Muslims both locally and globally. This heightens sensitivity
towards discrimination and alienation – two of the main factors shown to underlie drift towards
radicalisation into violent Islamist doctrine.

On the basis of the limited evidence available, those aged in their early-20s with low levels of ‘religious
literacy’ and associational networks linking them to existing violent Islamists appear most susceptible to
extremist recruitment. Through violent Islamist doctrine, recruiters provide apparently clear, convincing
and empowering resolutions to recruits’ personal problems and feelings of alienation. Many individuals
are however, ‘self-starters’ who join violent jihad without the influence of recruiters, and instead become
radicalised through pre-existing small friendship groups influenced by shared conceptions of injustice
and various violent Islamist-based media (books, internet sites and films). Conviction data suggest that
UK-based al-Qaeda-inspired ‘cells’ consist of between two and 13 members, but are likely to be larger
than the data imply since more marginal members may not have been convicted. There may also be
various ‘shades’ of support for violent Islamism with no clear dividing lines between those that do and
those that do not hold knowledge about, or are involved in, terrorist-related activities.

Radicalisation into violent Islam occurs at particular sites, in particular: prisons, universities, Islamic
book shops; mosques; Islamic study groups; visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan; inflammatory film,
literature and internet sites, and in friendship and family networks. Many convicted plot members
made visits to Pakistan but this appeared to occur following their radicalisation and its potential
influence is unknown. Further, whilst most of those found guilty of terrorist-related offences are male,
a small number of British Muslim women have been convicted for support roles.

Politics and legislation

As a result of 9/11, 7/7, and due to the nebulous and changing shape of the threat posed by al-
Qaeda, the UK government has adapted and updated counter-terrorist legislation originally introduced
to counter the threat of Northern Irish terrorism. The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005, the Terrorism
Act 2006, and intensified usage of prescriptions in the Terrorism Act 2000 are the principal
components. These Acts of Parliament made it possible to charge, imprison and/or deport those
suspected of inciting violent Islamism, and to prosecute those found in possession of terrorist-related
material or found assisting terrorist operations. Aspects of the new legislation may however,
inadvertently undermine relations between British Muslim communities and the police and state,
impeding effective intelligence and contributing to a general drift towards, rather than away from,
support for violent Islamism. These aspects include:

•

intensified use of Section 44 stop and search;

•

ambiguous laws pertaining to non-disclosure, support for and glorification of terrorism;

2

See what I mean Liilly? The OWS was a garden party at a country vicarage.

About the same as in the US.


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UK Information about husbands, wives, fiancés and fiancées


Original source:
United Kingdom Immigration & Nationality Directorate
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/
http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/


Important! Please always visit the original sources above for the latest updates.



These pages explain what the UK Immigration Rules say about husbands, wives, fiancés or fiancées coming to the United Kingdom with, or to join someone who is settled here. They are only a guide and aim to answer frequently asked questions.


Can my husband, wife, fiancé or fiancée come to the United Kingdom?

Your husband, wife, fiancé or fiancée may apply to come with you or join you in the United Kingdom as long as:

you currently live and are settled in the United Kingdom; or

you are returning to the United Kingdom with them to live here permanently

How does my husband or wife qualify?

He or she must also show that:

you are legally married to each other;

you are going to live together permanently as man and wife;

you have met each other;

you can support yourselves and any dependants without help from public funds;

you have adequate accommodation where you and your dependants can live without help from public funds; and

he or she is not under 16.

If you have more than one husband or wife, only one of them will be allowed to join you here as your husband or wife.

Your husband or wife must get entry clearance before they travel to the United Kingdom.

When your husband or wife arrives in the United Kingdom, they will be given permission to stay and work for 12 months. Near the end of the 12 months, if you are still married and plan to live together, your husband or wife may apply to remain here permanently.

How does my fiancé or fiancée qualify to come to the United Kingdom?

Your fiancé or fiancée must show that:

you plan to marry within a reasonable time (usually six months);

you plan to live together permanently after you are married;

you have met each other;

there is somewhere for him or her and any dependants to live until you are married without help from public funds; and

they and any dependants can be supported without working or having to get help from public funds.

We will give your fiancé or fiancée permission to stay here for six months but they must not work. When you are married, your husband or wife may apply to stay here. If we approve the application, we will give your husband or wife permission to stay and work for 12 months. Near the end of 12 months, your husband or wife may apply to stay here permanently.
Your fiancé or fiancée must get entry clearance before they travel to the United Kingdom.

How does my husband or wife apply to stay in the United Kingdom permanently?

You will need to complete an application form. Applications, except those for asylum and work permits or under European Community law, will not be valid unless they are made on the appropriate application form. You can get copies of application forms from this website.
To apply for further leave to remain, get form FLR(M).
To apply for indefinite leave to remain, get form SET(M).
If you are not sure which application form you should complete, the Applications Forms Unit will be able to help you. You can telephone them on 0870 241 0645.

You should send the completed form, by post, before your permission to stay ends. The application form will give you details of all the documents you will need to send with your application and where you should send it.

If you need to travel urgently you can apply in person at one of our public enquiry offices.
All documents should be originals unless you have a good reason why you cannot produce them with your application. We will not normally accept photocopies.

Can my husband, wife, fiancé or fiancée's children join us?

There is a separate page giving details about children coming to the United Kingdom.

What are public funds?

If you come to live or stay in the United Kingdom, you must be able to support and accommodate yourself without claiming certain state benefits. These are:

Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA);

housing and homelessness assistance;

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit;

Working Families' Tax Credit;

a social fund payment

Child Benefit; or

any disability allowance.

What is entry clearance?

Entry clearance is a visa or entry clearance certificate you are given so you can travel to the United Kingdom. You must apply for entry clearance to the British Embassy, High Commission or other British Diplomatic Mission (known as British Diplomatic Posts) in the country where your husband, wife, fiancé or fiancée lives.

You can get advice about which British Diplomatic Posts can issue entry clearance any British Diplomatic Post abroad.

You can get guidance leaflets and information about visas from UK visas. Please write to:
Visa Correspondence Section
UKvisas
London
SW1A 2AH
United Kingdom.


General enquiries: +44 (0)20 7008 8438
Application forms: +44 (0)20 7008 8308
Fax numbers: +44 (0)20 7008 8359/8361

Sorry, I know this topic is a little old but I figured I'd throw my 2 pence at it.

I am currently finishing up a 2 month internship in London. I am a US student, with a big group of other students. I ended up loving London and my internship so much that I was able to talk with my employer (the CEO of the company) and he is going to be sponsoring me for my 6 month BUNAC visa, but after that I will have to apply for a Tier 2 (General) visa. I won't lie, even having a sponsor and a place to live it's still a huge headache and very stressful. The fact that you have to pay $700+ for the Tier 5 visa just to submit the basic application which can potentially be denied is insane.

I have friends who are trying to stay in the UK by applying to Universities since they really like to draw in international students. The University can sponsor you and as long as you stay a student you can stay in London, but you can only work part time, and from my short stay in the UK I know part time would not cover my expenses. My tiny room in a flat-share is 600gbp (about $950) a month. If it weren't for getting a lot of help with the start up expenses it would be impossible to stay here. When I receive my new Visa and return to the UK to work full time I will be working 40-100 hours a week to ensure I have my bases covered and can save money for my own flat when my lease is up. The minimum wage pay rates in the UK are also different from the US. You will get paid more or less per hour based upon your age. I believe McDonals sponsors Visas, it's not a glorious job but it's a start.

I suggest if you have never been to the UK to make a few short trips at different times of year to get an idea of what you're in for.

Hey guys!

I haven't read all of the posts, but it sounds like Britain and America are just as hard as each other.
I'm 27 and an ex army soldier in the UK. I'm the one who wants to move state side. Why you want to move to the UK I have no idea. You're not missing a great deal at all.

Go to NYC if you want to go to London, it's bigger and better, not that I've been to America I've only visited Canada for 8 weeks (not long enough for my liking). But from what I've seen, there is nothing spectacular or different over here at all. In fact I hate living in the UK and I'm from the UK. London is good but then it's because it's one of our largest cities so it has more to offer, but it's a heck of a lot smaller than most US towns.

By all means, come for a holiday, but for me US would be worth the stress, UK for you really isn't.

Jobs, well I can't find one. I wouldn't even bother unless you're in one of the top jobs, I know it's the same for British moving to America. Anything that lostgirl said is the same for us wanted to move there as it is for you to come here.

All you really need is a months worth of holiday , maybe 2 months to explore the UK, then trust me, you would want to go home.

Think of where you live now. Basically you have the rest of your state to explore, then 49 others then South America and Canada.

I wish I lived where you live, I honestly do. Don't waste your time stressing out or money by coming over here even for a year. All it takes is about 2 months, especially considering it takes roughly only 24 hour to travel North to South here.

Anyone want to swap lives?

Anyway good luck in your travels and lives, and I hope one day to see you IN THE US!!!

You article is extremely informative. It' one of the best I have. I am a US citizen who also would like to live in London for six months ( April- September). Ideally, I would like to have a job while in England, so that I could stay longer.
Would I be able to rent a flat , with proof of finance, without a visa? At least, I could stay for 6 months.
Based on your narrative below, what other alternatives are there to live and in England? ( for a year)
As additional information, my work background is in educational administration. I have been a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent . I also hold a Ph.D.
I have been traveling to the UK since 1995. I have made the decision to relocate on a temporary basis. I desperately need direction on how to accomplish this task----"dream".
What direction should I direct my efforts?

You should know that it is very very difficult for a US citizen to get a UK residence visa. You cannot just up and move there.

Your best efforts would be directed towards getting a work visa. You would need to get a firm job offer, in a position where the employer has shown that they can not fill the post, not only from within the UK, but right across the European Union. Only the most high powered of specialists stand a chance, and sinc Britain is not a third world country, the chances are slim for the vast majority of people. Such a visa is also very expensive.

If you travel to the UK without a work permit, your only option is a tourist visa, which you, in effect, apply for at the UK Border Agency entry desk at the airport. If the UKBA officer (who wears a uniform and has police powers) believes that...

You are truthfully declaring the purpose and length of your intended stay (they will ask you this),

You have enough funds to maintain yourself during the duration of your stay,

You fully and honestly intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit (they can ask for proof of ties to your homeland e.g. return air ticket, letter of leave-of-absence from employer; lease or tenancy document, etc),

You are not being deceitful about your purpose in visiting the UK (you are not pretending to be a tourist when your real intention is to take up residence),

... if they believe all that, they can "stamp you in" by placing a visa stamp in your passport, which will show how long you are allowed to remain in the UK. The maximum is 6 months, but you could be granted less.

If the officer believes you actually intend to establish residence, they can 'bounce' you - place you in detention and put you on the next plane back, using up your return ticket in the process. They can search your baggage, phone, tablet, laptop, etc, look at any social media pages you are on, and if they see "Woohoo I'm moving to England!!!" then that's it, back you go. If they feel you have "used deception" to try to enter the UK, they can ban you from entry for 10 years. They do this often. It will do you no good to threaten to write your congressman, and the US Embassy will not be interested in helping you.

I suggest you 1. study the information on the UK Border Agency web site,

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/

and 2, enrol at a web forum called UK-Yankees (definitely do this if you are serious) and ask your question in the Visas and Citizenship section

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/

which specializes in this sort of thing. Be warned, the members won't pull any punches, they will puncture any dreams you may have, and instead provide hard headed and realistic advice.