Immigration to the UK.

outlaw2001it · July 3rd, 2007, 11:07 PM

Hello,
You shouldn't have much problems going/staying in the UK as an American. Just make sure you have your passport with visa stamp, this way you can stay there for six months instead of three. Your work Visa most likely will be handled by the company that hires you, but you may have to pay the cost of it. With the exchange rate of $2.00 for 1 BP (British Pound), the cost of living is going to be expensive; $2,000 for an apartment (very small) is about right. Get used to fish and chips, no smoking in public places (if you smoke). Brush up on your football (soccer) rules, and players; when people mention the name Beckham they are talking about David, and not his wife Victoria (Posh Spice). Formula One Racing is big over there, and right now the Driver's Points leader is Lewis Hamilton (from the UK). So don't mention Nascar, and or Jeff Gordon because they will have no idea what you are talking about. The "boot" is the trunk of the car, when leaving an establishment/people don't forget to say "Cheers". Take Care, I meant Cheers.

Shipuuden · July 3rd, 2007, 11:38 PM

Found this dont know if it will work.
http://www.skillclear.co.uk/index2.a...tionConsulting

EXreaction · July 4th, 2007, 01:35 AM

Ya, I believe they can rush your passport for another $100 or so, on top of the $100 you have to pay to get it in the first place. :swoon:

I should follow up on some of those places I sent my resume to in London as a Jr software developer and give them a call saying I am interested in moving to London, and I'd be willing to pay to get over there if they could help me get a work visa, or w/e.

Just looked at airplane tickets...they sure are cheap compared to what I would have guessed! $500 for one way or $800 for a round trip!

If I could sell my car for $4k I'd have about $12k USD to get me started.

I will have to look into more flats to let then...see how far the public transportation goes out from London, and see exactly how much it would cost me, and how long I could live without a job over there (I'd like to have enough for a few months at the least, I guess I don't have full confidence in getting a job right away, but if I try hard enough I probably can (I have many different skills I can work from, I have worked with computer hardware and software for many years, I am a mechanic, I can cook pretty dang good (my last job was a cook), and some other things I can work as if need be).

Outlaw, I love fish, I never picked up smoking, and am not at all into sports (I could probably get into football if it was interesting enough, sports here in the US are boring, everyone seems only in it for the money, and stops trying in the pro leagues).

Seems it would take a bit to get used to their bloody odd language, but I am sure I can pick it up after a bit.

Shipuuden, I believe I have seen that page already, but I will look into it on there, thanks.

BettaBuy · July 4th, 2007, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EXreaction

I was looking at apartments, and it's crazy expensive in London, about $2,000 USD per month for a small place. But if I could get a nice job there I wouldn't mind paying that much (or, London does have a nice rail system, correct? I could live further out and pay less for rent then).

Time to look into what they have for public transportation.

Yes, you could like into suburbs like Watford, Harlow, Finchley, Enfield...etc. A small but nice one bedroom flat will set you back around £700-800 per month ($1,500).
An absolute minimum would be +/- £600, but you might end up in a not so great area...
Make sure you choose an area accesible by underground or a main bus corridor to get you into central London quickly.
Also, don't forget council tax. For a small 1 bedroom flat, it should be somewhere between £600-£900 a year depending on property size and location (each council has different rates).

outlaw2001it · July 4th, 2007, 05:48 AM

Hello,
I have a friend living in London, I can possibly have him look out for an apartment for you. Just need information on when you will be going, and how much you want to spend. Let me know...here to help if needed. Cheers.

EXreaction · July 4th, 2007, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BettaBuy

Yes, you could like into suburbs like Watford, Harlow, Finchley, Enfield...etc. A small but nice one bedroom flat will set you back around £700-800 per month ($1,500).
An absolute minimum would be +/- £600, but you might end up in a not so great area...
Make sure you choose an area accesible by underground or a main bus corridor to get you into central London quickly.
Also, don't forget council tax. For a small 1 bedroom flat, it should be somewhere between £600-£900 a year depending on property size and location (each council has different rates).

I will look into those areas, thanks for all the info.

Quote:

Originally Posted by outlaw2001it

Hello,
I have a friend living in London, I can possibly have him look out for an apartment for you. Just need information on when you will be going, and how much you want to spend. Let me know...here to help if needed. Cheers.

dzee · July 4th, 2007, 09:08 PM

Great thread!
Heres a few points that may be of help.

London is the most expensive place to live in england, and the south in general is more expensive than the north not just in housing but also by some smaller differences in everyday living from food to a pint.

The further north you go the worse the weather gets, although its not particularly great anywhere on this little island! if weather is a factor on location the south east should be first choice for less chance of severe weather.

You may want to live outside of london and travel by train as most citys have ok train networks connecting. This would mean rent would be cheaper and flats bigger.

SeanC · July 4th, 2007, 11:11 PM

There are surface trains into every good sized town and city in England. The tube (subway) is quite extensive in London and the surrounding areas.

I would recommend not living in London itself, unless you like crushes of people and feeling rushed 24/7.

If you can find a job in another city besides London, you won't make as much but you won't have to pay as much and everyone won't be in such a hurry.

EXreaction · July 5th, 2007, 12:30 AM

Does anyone know of a good site that shows the rail lines in England?

Most of the ones I find are crappy static images, one build on top of google maps would be fantastic.

27 · July 5th, 2007, 02:47 PM

Well I am late to this thread.

I live in the UK so please feel free to fire me all your questions.

I live in Bradford (near Leeds in the North of England) and can tell you that London is very expensive.

I have a 2-bedroom house (plus kitchen, bathroom and living room) for £300 per month. I did get this in 2004 so you'd probably pay £400 per month for the same place today.

You should consider other places besides London. Do you prefer the city or the country?

Also, I'd advise you not to emigrate or look for a work visa yet. Just come with your American passport and you should get 3 or 6 months. Check the place out and see if you like it first.

England is a lot more than London and even London is not the stereotypical place with red double-decker buses, red telephone boxes and guys speaking like Hugh Grant saying "Ta Ta Chaps" and "Golly Gosh".

Any more questions?