Looking to move to the USA?

**taurus23uk** · 18-09-2012, 04:37 PM

I am from the UK and i moved to the USA around 6 years ago for a varietry of reasons. I hated the weather, found money hard to come by, i was sick all of the time. i thought people were aggressive etc etc.

I made my mind up in 2006 and that was it. i had no kids, not married and with only myself to worry about things for me were easier than for some of you that i see here with kids (and dogs).

One thing i will say is that it has its difficulties and like anything in,ofe will take alot of hard work. After reading millions of articles etc on moving to the USA i became even more confused as time went on.

I travelled to the USA in the summer of 2006 and got a job as a Personal Trainer as an independent contractor. I later learned that this is a problem as at the end of the year i had to file taxes in response to my employer filing a 1099 in my name. This means i had to learn very quickly how i was going to be able to do this. I seen two immigration attorneys and they gave me the solution.

I formed an llc in the usa which gave me a federal tax id. I was an officer of this llc so effectively i was sponsoring myself as the owner to work in the USA. Now many of you reading this thinking wow that is easy and it will work for me. STOP right there and bear in mind that i might have an ability to file taxes in the USA as an llc and my work there is valid as an officer of this entity. However, this did not give me a social security number or any real legal residency. For that i had to apply for a H1b visa and at the initial interview i was turned down for residency. I again spoke to an attorney and was advised to make an investment with my LLC into a US entity. Franchises are good for this because they are registered at state level and this helps the US goverment be sure of the business. I sold my house in the UK and took out two banl loans to be able to buy 50% of a fitness club. Bear in mind that this was a huge risk as simply buying into the business didnt not automatically mean i would be approved for the visa.

It was though successful and at the interview the officer told me that cases like this are almost always approved providing that the business is worth close to $200k and that the person has boguht at least 50% of it. This is what my attorney had told me and i was glad he was right. Since then a friend of mine also from the UK has moved across in this way to invest with me in another business. It was easier for him as i had already been through it and knew what to expect.

In brief, my advice to anyone is to do alot of research and maybe going straight for a green card will not be a solution for you. If you have any capital you csn do it my way but be sure to know that it is a long process and you will need to be ready to work hard to achieve your goals. Hope my story helps you.

Good luck,

**bishop25** · 18-09-2012, 06:55 PM

My best friend's family came here from Manchester and they have been living in the U.S. as permanent residents since the 1970s. I think back then it was a lot easier for British people to get a green card than it is now.
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**Letsy** · 19-09-2012, 01:51 AM

Hi taurus,

I'm totally unfamiliar with the US, but am always interested in the experience of others who migrate from the UK to different countries. (I'm in Australia).

Hi bishop,

One common theme for all of us it seems, is that we should no longer expect it to be any easier in another country.

Noting your experience in the detail you have taurus, is of huge value. We have got to stop seeing migration to another country as a cakewalk, and we have got to learn to take the 'golden opportunity' rhetoric with a bucket of salt!
It is only by posting our experience and opinion, that we can give a truer picture of a country, whether that opinion is for/against/or neutral.

This is where 'word of mouth' comes into its own.

All the best!