id love to live in florida

[lizziejayne]

what honestly are our chances? we have no relative or money
my husband fixes laptops for a living and is very good
are there any computer firms that would take him on and pay reloaction fees etc?
i dnt work and we have 3 girls 18 16 14
how do you go about applying for a visa?

[florida4sun]

Does he have a specialist degree or skill that is sort after in the USA, that would help. Otherwise you do need a fair bit of money.
With children that age I would not attempt it any other way, further education is very expensive and most visa will not extend to over 18s unless in education till they are 21 and then they need a visa of their own.
Health care would cost you a small fortune each month for the whole family. I am guessing a minimum of $600 - $700 but with co pay, which adds up.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lizziejayne
what honestly are our chances? we have no relative or money
my husband fixes laptops for a living and is very good
are there any computer firms that would take him on and pay reloaction fees etc?
i dnt work and we have 3 girls 18 16 14
how do you go about applying for a visa?
[/quote]

[chrizzy100]

I would say unless very lucky no..and with a child of 18 I'm not even sure I would try ..they could time out before you got near a greencard..
I will never say never..and if you wish for a site link to read I will send you one...we were told we would never get here and did 10 years ago...

[lizziejayne]

thank you all for advice no he doesnt have a degree but his job is specialized. its just gor so expensive to live here and id like somewhere better orlando has it all the weather helps too

[Sniff]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lizziejayne
thank you all for advice no he doesnt have a degree but his job is specialized. its just gor so expensive to live here and id like somewhere better orlando has it all the weather helps too
[/quote]
Hi. No offence, and I don't know the specifics, but "fixing laptops" doesn't sound particularly specialised to me.

I work for a company based in Europe that has offices in Miami. Occasionally we will try and transfer a European citizen to the Miami office, but it is very difficult. We have to prove there is no-one in USA that could do that job, which is much harder than you might imagine, even in a very narrow field like ours (airline reservations).

Also bear in mind that those people in our company that have made the transfer have taken a considerable drop in salary, both to bring them in line with US counterparts and to equalise the cost of living between US and Europe. European salaries with US cost of living would be great, but it isn't going to happen.

I wish you luck, but I think you will struggle, especially in the current econmic climate.

[florida4sun]

Its just as expensive to live in Florida, I really do not think the cost of living is any different. Somethings are cheaper but major stuff like healthcare, dentists are very expensive. Wages as mentioned above are lower.
The weather of course is fantastic.
If healthcare did not get in the way we would still be there. I can see us moving back somewhere warm in the future but probably France or Italy.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lizziejayne
thank you all for advice no he doesnt have a degree but his job is specialized. its just gor so expensive to live here and id like somewhere better orlando has it all the weather helps too
[/quote]

[lizziejayne]

his job invloves fixing laptops only 3 companies in the uk do it and you have to be qualified. whern anyone has a problem with there pc its sent to his work
things are so expensive here and i cannot find a job guess i thought houses would be cheaper over there. eldest daughter is in her last year of a levels she wants to go to university she can do that anywhere

[Nina A]

Jayne, all I can say is the grass in the USA may look greener but it sure ain't [msnwink]

[chrizzy100]

The cost of living in the US is more than the UK..I was shocked..I had to double my food bill...and my first gas bill for one month was the same price as it would of been in the UK for a year don't get me started on house INS...I've seen prices go up in FL this year a lot..and the weather in FL is to me one of its major downfalls for living in full time..

[lizziejayne]

i thought food was cheaper and petrol
when on holiday prices in walmart looked cheaper and surely with good weather you wont need heating on as much
our utility bills here are very expensive

[stephen williams]

Many items are more expensive , bread, milk butter the basics. The cost of electric is so expensive, ie the cost of keeping he pool pump, air con , pool heater in the winter adds up to an electric double my uk bill

[florida4sun]

Petrol is cheaper but you do many more miles a year, plus cars have bigger engines.
Overall food costs we found about the same as the UK. Eating out is much better value than the UK.
Colling a house is as costly as heating a house and you don't want to be there without air conditioning.
Our utility bills were twice what we pay now in the UK and that was 5 years ago.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lizziejayne
i thought food was cheaper and petrol
when on holiday prices in walmart looked cheaper and surely with good weather you wont need heating on as much
our utility bills here are very expensive
[/quote]

[flyrr100]

I've lived in the US since the late 80s. And belive me, the cost of living far exceeds the UK. You have free healthcare. You have no idea what a blessing that is until it's gone. You have an infrastructure. It's so easy to jump on a bus in London. Here if you dont have a car you're sunk. Insurance is diabolical! We have huge property insurance rates in Florida. And thats if you can find a company to insure a house here. You in the UK have at least 4 weeks paid vacation each year. Here I get one week. You get months of paid sick leave. Here I get a few weeks. If I get sick I better have savings. The weather? It's the sub tropics! On a good day in July it's 88dgrs with 100% humidity. If your AC goes out all your floor tiles start warping because of all the moisture! And remember you have to run the AC. That means huge electric bills in the summer. Don't get me started on fire ants! Just to watch basic cable and have fast internet in my house costs me over $100 a month. And remember, if you live here you won't be visiting Disney every day. You'll be working. And Americans often have two or three jobs to just hang on to the inflation. Oh, schools! Florida high schools are some of the worse in the country. They are so strapped for cash that PE is now not offered unless you play football, baseball, or are the fastest track runner.
Sorry to be so negative. But I'm trying to clear your rose tinted glasses. I love it here. But I'm one of the lucky ones. I earn six figures. But I'm currently upside down on my mortgage. (I owe more than my house is worth.)
Think hard before you leave your home.

[lizziejayne]

thanks omg is it really that bad? doubt we d ge a visa anyway

[Nina A]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nina A
Jayne, all I can say is the grass in the USA may look greener but it sure ain't [msnwink]
[/quote]Jayne to add to my earlier post, Florida is a fantastic place to visit and you can't beat it as a holiday destination but living there is entirely different [msnwink].

[chrizzy100]

FL would not be my first pick to live full time..we got a house there to retire too..and for holidays..trouble with anywhere in the US it is cost..Up North where I live most of the year..my winter gas bill would be around $1200 a month if I used it to keep warm and not just to keep the house above 60 if its below -10 outside..I have to get up and build a log fire and keep it going all day in winter..its a dirty job ...log fires are fine for show..but as a way to keep warm its going back in time..most people here don't use lights just the TV..we burn candles and oil lamps..even then we have bills of around $600 a month in winter for light and cooking.....house INS is the killer mine went from $300 to $2k in one jump..food is the only thing holding steady in my area...along with house prices which are going up..we never had much of a housing bust here..

Good points are the people..living a different life..good health care if you have the money...schools are not better for education but they are more fun for kids..you can dust yourself off and pick yourself up easier here after a job lose..

For our area its the great beaches..low crime..free summer camps swimming and sailing for the kids..along with great play areas ...

If you are for the most part trying to get away from crime bad schools the cost of living or the weather then a lot of the US is not for you...but if you want a different life to try something new an adventure then maybe it is

[rogerdunnaker]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lizziejayne
i thought food was cheaper and petrol
when on holiday prices in walmart looked cheaper and surely with good weather you wont need heating on as much
our utility bills here are very expensive[/quote]You dont need the heating on but you sure need the AC on!!!!

[esprit]

We have 9.5% unemployment here at the moment. To get labor certification you will have to prove there is no American can do his job, With that kind of unemployment rate you need to be hugely specialised, and find a sponsoring employer who is willing to go all through the expense and hassle.

You could sell up and buy a business as many do, that may get you an E2 visa, never leads to permanent residence but is renewable every 2 to 5 years. However there are few good businesses around at the moment. Your big problem is your kids. Basically they age out and have to leave unless in education. We bought a kid of just 17 with us six years ago. He is now 23 and has cost around $70,000 to educate because he eventually had to go on an international students visa. He graduates the end of this year, He then has a choice of going home ( except it hasnt been for years and he doesnt know anyone there) and looking for a job, taking his chance on a work based visa ( one in four chance of getting one per year approx even if he can find a sponsor because of the H1B visa capping) or carrying on and doing more expensive education.

There are two of us and we pay $400 a month to get medical insurance with a $7000 excess. This means we dont go to the doctor because we cant afford to as we have to pay the first $7000 ourselves. The other mans grass is always greener. Whoever thinks this is a cheap place to live has never lived here. Burgers, clothes and petrol are cheap.

[steph_goodrum]

Julie
Have they changed any of the regs about working once he has graduated? I just wondered because a couple of years ago the UK changed it so that if you had studied here you can then get a Visa to work here for 2 years after graduation. It came just in time for a student from Miami who had lived with my sister here for 3 years, so she did her degree, worked for 2 years, got her Masters and has another year or so left before she returns to the US. I know sometimes these arrangements are reciprocal so wondered if there was any likelihood your son might be able to stay a bit longer?

[esprit]

Yep he gets a years OPT ( optional practical training) if he wants it, Steph. It is work experience effectively. However they need to get a job and it has to be in their field of study, ie they cant go work in a shop or something. With 9.5 percent unemployment, there is a problem in getting jobs for new grads here at the moment. One of his best friends is off to teach in Korea having been unable to find a teaching job for a full year now ( she is American and has been unemployed since graduating last summer) Matt needs to find a job in healthcare which may not be terribly easy. I think he is coming back to the UK to do his masters. Much cheaper than doing it as an International Student in the US. A masters in his chosen subject will improve his chances of a job and immigration wise as making him EB2 instead of EB3. But will cost us yet more money.

[chrizzy100]

Its not easy here and its going to get a lot harder..we are looking at moving country after taking American citizenship..can't say we can afford to live here for more than another 2 years..

[esprit]

Us too, Chrizzy. There is no safety net at all here. Like you I do lots of immigration forums, and Brit expats are going home all over, a lot of them broke.

[chrizzy100]

We have some what of a safety net..but with all the new globe warming taxes and healthcare taxes you'll end up with only enough money to pay bills and nothing else..if we stay we will downsize and spend a few years traveling around the country..then take part time jobs to get by..I think the so called middle class American is a dying breed...so its back to the biker life for us..we have enough stuff to last us a life time as it is..I'm
a bit fed up with this working and wondering how long a job will last..its time to leave the rat race I think..I would of left already if not for my Grandson...

[flyrr100]

I took citizenship back in 1994. I'm glad that I did, only to avoid renewing my greencard every ten years. And I get to vote. I complain enough about our government!
I have a safety net, but it's nowhere as big as I planned. I can blame the market crash back in 2002 for that one. I guess I'll be working after I retire from my job as a pilot.
I'm not sure where we'll retire to. Maybe out west. I love Washington and Oregon. Or Idaho maybe. Boise, if you've never been, is a lovely city nestled in the foothills.

I can't belive a $7000 deductible! Mine is just a $20 co-pay. But when I retire I'll have to look around for something. We have a seven year old and he'll still be with us when I'm 60.

Interesting subject. I know many Europeans who have settled here. But I'v ealso seen alot come and return to Europe. Some broke.

[chrizzy100]

Whats retirement..I only want citizenship to leave and get back in to see family...if we stay I'll not bother..hubby may..we will hold on here just because of family..it will not be a case of leaving because we want to..just because we know when its time to leave..

[Susan J]

I hope those looking to rent homes read this also -I sometimes feel that people think we have bought these cheap homes and make a killing- of course this is not the case, as you can see by this thread! OUr property taxes are enough to make you flake out alone! INsurance WOW -everything is very expensive, electricity, all utilities including the build in the first place- the "from" price isn't the 'actual price' and so on!
I often think I should have got a caravan in Cornwall LOL
However, the sunshine, the climate, the way of life and the lovely people along with the masses of things to do for all ages still make it the World no 1 destination and having travelled all over the USA,I cannot argue with that!

[chrizzy100]

my number one to visit would be the parks as in Yellowstone etc..the climate is one of the things that nearly put us off of FL...summer wise the Cape in MA has more usable days in summer..we have little rain most years nice temps it humid for a while but most years its livable..this years rain as been unusual..4 weeks nearly none stop..America has some of the most beautiful places in the world to visit..I'm sad to say its easier to visit them while living in the UK than here..and I know many people who have moved here find the same problem with getting away for a break all for different reasons..I think we would of moved back to the UK had we lived in FL to start with..I do moan a lot about the cost of living where I live..but it is a place worth the fight to stay in.. not sure I would say the same about FL..my house and friends pull me back there..not a lot else

[roger]

We have been here over 2 years and still love it. I'd highly recommend it to anyone. The way of life is fantastic, people great, climate perfect (you do get used to the heat in the summer).

The cost of living is higher here compared to the UK, but we save more than that with the lower taxes, so overall are better off. There is no Federal Income tax in Florida, although in most other states there is.

We have been fortunate to get our kids in to some of the better schools, and recommend anyone coming to live here with kids do some research on the schools before choosing where to buy a house.

However, as said above, I wouldn't want to live here with little or no income. If we can afford to live here when we retire then I'm sure we will, if not then the UK is a better option.

[steph_goodrum]

Also Roger you have the advantage of Green card now and stability for as long as you can afford it which helps you enjoy the move more doesn't it? I wouldnt want to do it on a Visa where every 2-5 years depending on if the Visa is renewed you have to not only go through the whole process (and as I understand it even come back to the UK no for it) and if it is refused renewal then may not even be able to get back into the country to wind up your business.

[roger]

That's a good point. I think had we stayed on our L1 that we came over on initially things might be different as there is a lot of stress involved with renewals, as well as the kids aging out.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steph_goodrum
Also Roger you have the advantage of Green card now and stability for as long as you can afford it which helps you enjoy the move more doesn't it? I wouldnt want to do it on a Visa where every 2-5 years depending on if the Visa is renewed you have to not only go through the whole process (and as I understand it even come back to the UK no for it) and if it is refused renewal then may not even be able to get back into the country to wind up your business.


[/quote]

[esprit]

Having a green card definitely helps. Being able to get homestead exemption, and the thought you will eventually be able to claim social security and medicare in your old age are big boons as is the ability to put your kids through further education at residents rates. Plus you dont have the expense of all the renewals, for which the whole family have to fly back to Europe. I think with a green card and a good income, you can live the lifestyle, maybe the odd complaint about the cost of healthcare, property tax and insurances, but no real problems. However the original poster was not going to be on a green card, they were going to be on a visa. Fact is the vast majority of Brits here end up either running a business or getting sponsored for employment and a lot people are really struggling with their businesses in this economic situation and others with employment based visas are being laid off left right and centre because of the high unemployment It isnt for the faint hearted. Apart from the hot and humid weather in Summer, there is nothing wrong with living here if you have permanence and a lot of cash or a very good income.

[florida4sun]

yep pretty much as I said, super place to live if you have a wedge [msnsmile] . Like I said I would be back there in shot if circumstances were different.
Mind you, you need a wedge in the UK now. It has to be one of the most expensive places to live in Europe. The main thing is that there is safety net, if it all goes the wrong way (and this happens to the best of people), you still have a roof over you head, food in you tummy and free healthcare. Very different to the USA. Easy to moan about this country but it has lot of things which are good, but the grass is always greener on the other side.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by esprit
Having a green card definitely helps. Being able to get homestead exemption, and the thought you will eventually be able to claim social security and medicare in your old age are big boons as is the ability to put your kids through further education at residents rates. Plus you dont have the expense of all the renewals, for which the whole family have to fly back to Europe. I think with a green card and a good income, you can live the lifestyle, maybe the odd complaint about the cost of healthcare, property tax and insurances, but no real problems. However the original poster was not going to be on a green card, they were going to be on a visa. Fact is the vast majority of Brits here end up either running a business or getting sponsored for employment and a lot people are really struggling with their businesses in this economic situation and others with employment based visas are being laid off left right and centre because of the high unemployment It isnt for the faint hearted. Apart from the hot and humid weather in Summer, there is nothing wrong with living here if you have permanence and a lot of cash or a very good income.
[/quote]

[chrizzy100]

If I had to go back to the UK poorer I could handle it better the staying here poor..I never moved to the US to just get by...but to get on..in the UK I'm happy going to biker do's and spending time with friends up the pub..here I want a little more because we work harder for it..
I loved my first 3 years here...I spent all my time helping other get here..but buy outs and lay offs do take the shine out of life..I'm happier now because I feel no matter what downsizing is the way to go..I'm happy to still have what I have when friends are losing everything..my kids are happy here in good jobs or back at school..and they have great friends..all in all this was a good move if things are what you want to own...but maybe not for peace of mind..

[Osceola]

I think that what we are all going through is one day going to be called The Great Recession. Europe is going to fare better in coming out of this than the US. America is having a very, very difficult time. An absolutely huge amount of wealth has vanished in the US and is likely not to ever come back.

A good friend and mate of mine was going to open a call center and did the usual thing of looking into Mumbai to set up operations over there. After a while I saw him again and asked how it was going and he completely surprised me by saying that he was going to set up in the US.... in northern Kentucky. Amazing but it is actually cheaper now to employ Americans as call center employees and to run it in Kentucky than to employ Indian employees!!!!!!

The Americans who came in for the position interviews were beaten down and desperate. He said the unemployment rates in some of these towns is thirty percent or more. There are no social services for these people! And these people were angry...really seething anger that their country had abandoned them. You combine that will millions of firearms and its a recipe for trouble.

[chrizzy100]

I'm not sure it that bad all over..I live in an area where there are a lot of poor and they always surprise me on how they get by...and in a lot of cases how happy they are with very little..you don't see that on the TV..

[Osceola]

Chrizzy, I've been watching the "town hall" meetings in America on cnn. I'm not sure poor people in America are "happy with very little". At one televised meeting in Michigan, a man pushed his teenage son who is in a wheel chair from cerebral palsy to the front and angrily confronted a congressman about his son's loss of benefits. Dozens and dozens of what looked like pretty ordinary citizens in the audience were shouting angrily. Can you blame them? What can you do when no one, not a single person in authority is willing to do anything to ensure that children in desperate medical need are attended to?

And it sure looks like the "poor people" in America used to be middle class.

[chrizzy100]

we are talking about living daily life here not major issues like health care which to be honest no-one is happy with no matter where they live....
People just get on with life..American as always been a country you can get on in..you can pick yourself back up...is it easy no..but no matter how much I moan about this and that..had we stayed in the UK and had the stuff thrown at us there that we have had thrown at us here we would of given up by now..

[Osceola]

The following story was prominently reported in the New York Times this past weekend:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/opinion/13kristof.html

A 32 year old middle class woman who basically died for no reason other than lack of health insurance. Amazing. I'm not sure how your family "picks itself back up" after that. 18,000 Americans die EVERY YEAR because they can't afford health insurance. And they're worried about a band of terrorists bottled up in some hills in far off Pakistan?????

What could possibly be thrown at you in the UK that could compete with that?

[ncmurray]

That is just incredible, and so sad.

What I really don't understand is why Congress is opposing the health insurance for all that Obama is trying to put though. How can anyone argue against it? It just doesn't make sense!

I think that our politicians need to be more circumspect in their comments about the NHS, because disparaging remarks about our health system are being used in the US to argue against similar healthcare there. I think that we are so lucky here to have the NHS, and while it may not be absolutely perfect, we couldn't do without it. I, for one, have only had a good experience with it, and thoroughly appreciate it.

Nuala

[Frosty]

We lived out there for almost 3 years, before returning back to Blighty.

The biggest single issue for us was health care. We didn't make a great deal whilst we were out there and so couldn't afford insurance.
I had a big health scare and was admitted into hospital for 3 days. Luckily it was early in our move and i had extended insurance from the UK which covered me. The level of care and equipment available was fabulous but the cost would have bankrupt us if we didn't have insurance.
3 days in hospital with a barage of expensive tests = $27k

As to Nuala's question as to why they seem to be fighting health reform?
1. There are a lot of people who get rich and make a lot of money out of private health care.
2. The well off object to paying for health care which lower income people would benefit from
3. The Americans have an in built fear of paying taxes, but are happy to pay $500-$600 a month for health insurance they may not use. Go figure?????

I can't express my relief at landing back in the UK and falling back into having the NHS as an option when needed.
We all knock the NHS, me included, before we left for Florida, but i'll tell you, its sorely missed when you get into the situation of not having anything while your out there.

[chrizzy100]

We have so called health care for all in MA..people now have to have health care they can't always afford or pay a fine at tax time so many go without food or heating..which as anyone who has lived up here will know it gets very cold here so no heating is a major killer..cover costs have doubled for a lot of people ..we don't have enough doctors hospitals are laying off staff because MA is now bankrupt because health care costs are so high..legal immigrants can't get health care like they could under Mass Health when they lost their jobs unless they have lived here over 5 years..2 years ago MA had the best cover for the poor in the US now that is all but going..
I keep reading in UK papers about people not wanting others to have free care..its not free the cheapest here is about $50 a week for one person with high co pays and poor coverage that is for someone on min wage..which is $7 an hour some people now pay $14/25k a year for cover..a lot of companies will stop paying for workers under the new bill as it stands putting up a lot of people payments from $150 a month to $800 a month making it hard to stay in a job..my son now had to wait 8 months to get a doctor..so he now had to use ER..and the wait time to see a doctor has gone from 1 to 2 hours to 3 weeks..young kids with no health care in their jobs are pouring out of the State in their hundreds..along with young families who can nolonger afford to live here..if this can happen in 2 years in a very small once wealthy State I don't know what will happen all over the US ..

[chrizzy100]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Osceola
The following story was prominently reported in the New York Times this past weekend:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/opinion/13kristof.html

A 32 year old middle class woman who basically died for no reason other than lack of health insurance. Amazing. I'm not sure how your family "picks itself back up" after that. 18,000 Americans die EVERY YEAR because they can't afford health insurance. And they're worried about a band of terrorists bottled up in some hills in far off Pakistan?????

What could possibly be thrown at you in the UK that could compete with that?
[/quote]

You could ask my mum who was just told in the UK she is too old for a treatment unless she pays for it..I think that counts..
But like I said and you can't seem to read we were talking about daily living not health care..and it 45k that die every year not 18...and most of the stories you read in the paper turn out to be dodgy at best and down right untrue for the most...most Americans are happy with their level of care..when you take out the illegals and the people not wanting health care the numbers are more like 25/30 million...it would be easier to deal with just them and a lot cheaper..

[Osceola]

No need to be unpleasant. However you make my point: with 45,000 Americans dying every year, it is difficult to accept your theory that most Americans are happy with their level of care. In fact, most are not. The polls say very differently. Over 70 percent of them feel there is a major crisis over insurance cover and level of care. That's why they elected Pres. Obama.

[atush]

My thought to the original poster is, why if you have no money are you a stay at home mom? With kids that age, you can be out and work. I realise right now the economy is not good, but it wasn't always that way. Perhaps if you had, you'd now have moeny in the bank.

As for going to the USA forget it. You could look to emigrate ot other english speaking countries like Australia, NZ, or canada.

[stevejones]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lizziejayne
what honestly are our chances? we have no relative or money
my husband fixes laptops for a living and is very good
are there any computer firms that would take him on and pay reloaction fees etc?
i dnt work and we have 3 girls 18 16 14
how do you go about applying for a visa?
[/quote]
well if you wish to move to Orlando it is great. For 2 reasons firstly real estate prices are quiet affordable at present in the area you can buy it now and rent it out later .As sooner the prices willl go up and you want get favorable chance.and Secondly , Because it is near to Kennedy Space Center, Orlando is also a high-technology hub, and there are hundreds of local companies active in software, and affiliated industries.So your husband would get job easily.

[Robert5988]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Orlando is also a high-technology hub, and there are hundreds of local companies active in software, and affiliated industries.So your husband would get job easily.[/quote]I suggest you stick to the real estate business - your knowledge on employment for Non-USA citizens is lacking!

[SDJ]

Steve, Robert is correct - you are so off the mark!!! See my posting on the other thread about moving to Florida.

Sandra