View Full Version : Buying a property and retiring to Florida
My husband and I would like to retire to the USA within the next 2 years and were thinking of Florida as our destination. I have tried to find information on the process we would have to go through, but I am having problems finding the answers.
We both live in the UK and are British citizens. We are not planning to work once we have retired. I am 44 and my husband is 50.
Do we need visa's? I understand we can stay in the USA for 6 months, but how long do we have to stay out of the USA before returning?
Could anyone provide me with the answers to the above and any other info I may need.
:D
You can only stay anywhere in the USA for 6 months in any 12 months, providing that you have a B2 visa, otherwise with just a Visa Waiver you have only 90 days in any 12 months. Retiring to the US is not an option for British Citizens, unless you are prepared to go somewhere else to live for 6 months of each year.
Buying a property in Florida or anywhere else in the US, gives you no advantage whatsoever, you can still only stay for a maximum of 6 months then you must leave for 6 months.
Before 9/11 it was relatively easy to get an extension from 6 months to 12 months, if you were already in the US, but now that is very difficult, and you should certainly not plan on getting an extension.
chrizzy100
02-11-2003, 20:28
quote:Originally posted by bagnut
My husband and I would like to retire to the USA within the next 2 years and were thinking of Florida as our destination. I have tried to find information on the process we would have to go through, but I am having problems finding the answers.
We both live in the UK and are British citizens. We are not planning to work once we have retired. I am 44 and my husband is 50.
Do we need visa's? I understand we can stay in the USA for 6 months, but how long do we have to stay out of the USA before returning?
Could anyone provide me with the answers to the above and any other info I may need.
:D
You can only retire here if you have close family members....daughter son...mother father....who are US citizens or hold greencards......my parents are coming over to live and they have to do it before anything happens to my mother ....my father is not my real dad....so if he is left on his own he can't come over to live with or be near us...so you could look at semi retiring to FL for the winter...and maybe going to Canada or back to the uk for the summer.....which is what my father plans to do if need be.....
imported_n/a
03-11-2003, 10:51
From reading the various posts on this and other forums I understand that the Immigration Service is totally "name" based.
I am in the position of having 2 nationalities and therefore 2 passports - which due to the vagaries of my "other country's" language are in slightly different names with different middle initials.
Although I do not intend to rely on this in any way does anyone here have an opinion as to whether leaving after 6 months on one passport and then re-entering on the other (hopefully seeing a different immigration officer) would work out?
If it didn't work out then you may well find yourself banned completely, under all names!!
The US immigration has really tightened up since 9/11. There probably are people doing things illegally, but I don't know any of them and I would certainly never risk it myself, and nor would I advise anyone to try it either.
huckleberry house
03-11-2003, 15:15
Hi anorak
I cant for the life of me understand why a language difference would result in two different passport names especially with different middle initials[:0] Dont you have to supply your Birth certificate anyway, in which case unless you had two different ones of those as well ,wouldnt match one of your passports and should mean that you cant get two different visas.
Lesley
You don't need to show your birth certificate for a B1/B2 visa. Your Passport is all that is required, plus documents proving that you will be returning to your own country.
imported_n/a
03-11-2003, 19:12
To answer Huck's query - if you just think about it:
English John = Greek Iannis = Irish Sean
So there you have 3 different initials for the same name. J and I and S
A Cypriot born in Cyprus might have a Cypriot passport in his Greek name and a British one in an English name he might also be married to an Irish citizen and entitled also to an Irish passport in the Irish form of his name.
imported_n/a
03-11-2003, 19:16
Carla - I don't know why you say I might be banned - I put in my post that I would not be relying on this in any way - so why would they ban me?
You asked for an opinion of what we thought might happen if you did try to use two passports one after the other. If they catch you then you may well be banned. That is my opinion.
If they even suspect you of doing anything that they consider illegal they will ban you from their country. Simple.
Many owners have now obtained a B1/B2 visa, not because they intend staying anywhere near as much as 6 months in any one year, but because, like me, they "pop over" 4 or 5 times a year and encounter problems at immigration. The immigration people do not even have to give you a reason to put you on the next plane home and prevent you from coming again.
imported_n/a
03-11-2003, 22:04
Carla - I think you are missing the point here - I did not say I would do it ! Where did I say I would do it? So there is no risk of me being banned ! I have family in the USA and have been a regular visitor for over 30 years. I do not like your allegation .
Although on this forum I am a newbie I can see that several of the members "interpret" what is posted and add their own meaning. That is a ridiculous situation. Therefore this will be my last post as I am fed up with it.
You will no doubt be pleased to have got rid of me and I, in my turn, am pleased to have found another forum where my plain English is in less danger of being misunderstood.
Good luck with it all.
This is what you wrote
"Although I do not intend to rely on this in any way does anyone here have an opinion as to whether leaving after 6 months on one passport and then re-entering on the other (hopefully seeing a different immigration officer) would work out?"
My OPINION is that if you WERE to do that then you run the risk of being banned!!
It is you who is wilfully misinterpreting what has been written.
chrizzy100
03-11-2003, 22:47
quote:Originally posted by Carla
This is what you wrote
"Although I do not intend to rely on this in any way does anyone here have an opinion as to whether leaving after 6 months on one passport and then re-entering on the other (hopefully seeing a different immigration officer) would work out?"
My OPINION is that if you WERE to do that then you run the risk of being banned!!
It is you who is wilfully misinterpreting what has been written.
You are right Carla.......he could be deported....and not be able to return to the USA for 10 years....he asked for an opinion....which you give.....you were not nasty in anyway....[msnsmile]
Thank you Carla and Chrissie for your information. Are there ways of staying longer in the USA, officially that is. I understand we could invest in a business, or could we carry out temp work?
[msnsmile]
Hi Bagnut
The only way that you could legally go over, would probably be to buy a business and employ Americans. Esprit, on this forum, has done exactly that, so she will be able to tell you of the trials and tribulations of going this route.
If you already have a business in the UK, which could open a branch in Florida, then that is another route.
The only problem seems to happen when you decide that you don't want to work any more, as with some business based visas you do not automatically have the right to stay once you sell the business. Buying a business does not automatically lead to a green card and permanent residency.
We would love to retire to Florida, but have decided that we can have the best of both worlds really, with 6 months in the US and 6 months either based in the UK, or possibly somewhere near the Alps, so that my husband can ski!!!!
Another thing to consider, and a very big thing, is health insurance. America is not a great place to be if you are sick and don't have adequate coverage. It costs many dollars per month to obtain the kind of cover that won't result in bankrupcty after one hospital stay!!
As Carla says, we bought a business and moved out on an E2 last Summer. We are in our early 50s and yes it was a sort of early retirement thing. Trials and tribulations?? Yes, some. The businesses for sale to Brits here are often overpriced for what they are and rely on the demand by visa hunting Brits, they are often intrinsically not worth the money asked and some dont make anything near what they are supposed to make on paper. I have heard of people here setting up businesses just to sell, obtaining contracts often by undercutting the competition and signing contracts doing more than you can possibly do and still make a profit, just to look good on paper to sell to an E2 visa applicant. Good businesses are few and far between yet more and more Brits arrive looking for an E2 business like lambs to the slaughter. At worst, you can end up really just buying a visa. We have used our business as seedcore to build up other businesses as in Orlando it is all aboiut " being there",
If you can get here on L1, do it as you are then on a route to a green card, though there are routes through labor certification that can lead to permanent residence for a E2 holder via change of status so saying it can never lead to a green card is not quite right This is something you need to think long amd hard about. All the Brits I know here, especially those on E2, work really really hard. We work much harder than we did in the UK. It isnt quite what you would call retirement and living in Florida is nothing like it is when you are on holiday. It is an interesting life in the sun however.
Health insurance--. We pay $220 per month for the two of us with a $5000 excess ( so it only really covers accidents/serious illness.) We are both healthy with no pre-exisitng.
Esprit
We are moving to Florida next year on an E2 visa and looking for good health insurance. Who are you with? $200 per months sounds pretty reasonable.
Lindajo
Don't forget the excess of $5000, Lindajo. That basically means that you would pay for everything, each and every time you see a doctor, or go to the hospital, or have any treatment whatsoever. It is only when the bill comes to more than $5000 for a particular treatment that you would be covered by your insurance!!!!!!! In the UK we complain about paying £6 for a prescription!!!! A trip to a doctor in the US for something very minor could easily set you back several hundred dollars.
I'm not in any way trying to put you off, but you do need to know exactly what you are up against.
It's also I think $5000 each person, so if both of you were ill in the same year, then it could be $10,000!
chrizzy100
06-11-2003, 03:50
quote:Originally posted by lindajo
Esprit
We are moving to Florida next year on an E2 visa and looking for good health insurance. Who are you with? $200 per months sounds pretty reasonable.
Lindajo
You need to find a good company with low co-payments....over here when you visit the docs you have a check up every visit....your BP etc are taken....if they find anything wrong...then you could end up with ....$100 plus visits to the doc every week....some docs will not take you on unless you have a full check up and good insurance cover....you don't want to be taken ill over here without good cover.....I've seen people lose their homes to pay their doctor and hospital bills that can run into hundreds of thousands......its something you have to get right first time.....
Its with Global expats insurance. You cant get proper US medical insurance until you have been here for two years in case you have some pre-existing illness you bring in with you, I think. You would be surprised how many agents wanted us just to lie on the form and say we had been. It would just have invalidated the insurance if they found out and left a loophole you could have driven a bus through but all the agents cared about was their commission. The excess is per person unless it arises from the same event ( ie we are all in the same car accident) Matt at 18 got an excess of %2500 at the price we paid $5000 for. We dont mind paying for the odd doctors visit but dont want to be bankrupted by a major accident or illness so we took out what is called catastrophic insurance. You can get insurance with a much lower excess that will cover you for most treatments but it would have been much more expensive.
Thanks for all the info. It is very helpful. My husband has had asthma since birth and uses an inhaler - maybe uses one per month. Will this be a problem when we look for medical insurance?
It could be. You may find that insurers will want to exclude your husband's asthma from the policy altogether which means that you'll have to pay for his inhalers and doctor's visits, etc yourself and also that will exclude any condition which could be attributed to his asthma.
But you won't know until you ask I guess as all insurers don't have the same pre-existing conditions exclusions or consider asthma as a particular risk factor.
My son is asthmatic and we had to declare it and they weighted his premium slightly. He is only 18 so it was not too bad.
Lindajo, you say you are moving out on E2, please be sure to investigate the business you are buying very thoroughly ( and not just via an accountant acttached to your business broker or attorney, someone totally impartial) Also please go out and shadow the people for a day or two and see what they do and whether you want to do that for the rest of your lives. Dont be blinded by the thought of a visa and living in Florida, you are doing that job 8 plus hours a day ( 12 in my case) and have to be content with what you are doing as you are tied to that business. If you want to know the nitty gritty of moving out to Florida on E2, pm me.
3peppers
17-01-2004, 21:54
can anyone tell me where is the best place to post an ad to sell my home? I have a 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath house located in Polk CO, I do not want to go through any realtors and I have not experience with the people that say they buy houses for cash. Has anyone dealt with those type of companies? It really is a gorgeous home. Big lot, great subdivision, cermaic tiles throughout the house, high ceiling, screen patio enclosures, heck I have pics that I can show to anyone who is interested. Well anyone has any suggestions please do let me know.
Best Regards Sue
Hi Sue
Welcome to the forum. Well, you could try the 'For Sale/Swap' section of the forum for a start? Just remember that you can't include website links so you could get interested people to contact you via PM or email.
Try posting it on here but not in this section which is for immigration really and not the right place!! From what I hear homes are being snapped up at the moment because of the good £/$ exchange rate. You would probably do better using a realtor who could put you in touch with say a British buyer and paying his fees than selling to one of those I buy your home for cash people as I am sure they probably dont give you a good price. It is a sellers market at the moment.