Planning a move from the UK to Dallas... (hotels, unemployment rate)

[BigDGeek]

You will want to visit an expat site or somewhere like Visa Journey dot com so you can familiarize yourself with our immigration laws prior to your visit. Visiting the US on a tourist visa for the express purpose of procuring employment is almost certainly illegal.

Even if you can find work here, the odds of finding an employer who will sponsor your visa are not good. I would save my money and focus my job search in the UK/EU if I were you.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by KW85

No I don't have a UK licence as I haven't taken the test yet, however I do know how to drive. I'm just a terrible procrastinator. I'm hoping necessity will force me into action. You wouldn't happen to know what the average taxi fare is in Dallas would you?

Afraid not; I've never taken a taxi in Dallas before. Taken plenty in the UK, though. I lived there and in Poland, Germany, and France in the 2000s.

[KW85]

Originally Posted by tofurkey

KW85, I used google dot com for a sample search > dallas extended stay <. I don't know if the link will work for you but you can just make that search for like results. There appears to be a very few results for about $200US weekly. One near Dallas Market Center with bus access to rail line. Another a bit to the east and north a bit, also with bus access but further to rail. Another in a very good part of town but no transit shown. Each appears to be suitable to your needs.

I wouldn't take the lack of rail service as a problem. Dallas is not populated around rail service - the service being not much more than 10 years old. Some of the bus routes are pretty good but it takes planning. The idea of a taxi is good.

To follow stephwin above, if you have an idea of where you might be interviewing or what sort of companies then there might be some further assist to get you situated.

The link works, I'm going through them right now
- Thank you!

[KW85]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

You will want to visit an expat site or somewhere like Visa Journey dot com so you can familiarize yourself with our immigration laws prior to your visit. Visiting the US on a tourist visa for the express purpose of procuring employment is almost certainly illegal.

Even if you can find work here, the odds of finding an employer who will sponsor your visa are not good. I would save my money and focus my job search in the UK/EU if I were you.

My plan was to come back to the UK and apply for the appropriate visa before attempting to start work. I cannot get a work visa unless I have a job offer.

Unfortunately the UK has one of the highest youth unemployment in Europe, and it's set to continue into 2013. I'm not looking forward to another year of unemployment. So I decided to expand my job search to foreign countries as I have not been able to find a permanent job since I've graduated.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I hate to quash your hopes but usually the only companies willing to sponsor someone are those who are hiring quite specialized people such as chemists, engineers, tech, etc. It's quite a lot of trouble and paperwork for a company to sponsor someone.

[Willsson]

Dallas Yellow Cab

DFW Alliance Cab - Taxi Rates

CITY FARE :$2.25 - Initial meter drop
$0.20 - Each 1/9 mile
$0.45 - Per 1 1/2 minutes of traffic delay/waiting time
$2.00 - For each extra passenger (up to rating seat capacity)$8.00 - Minimum for trips originating at Lovefield Airport
$1.00 - Lovefield loading fee .

All prices are PER CAB, not per person

[seat21d]

I would expect "average" taxi fares to run $40-$80, but could easily be more if you're crossing from one end of the the Metroplex to another. Short trips will be less, but I wouldn't count on relying on many short trips.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

I hate to quash your hopes but usually the only companies willing to sponsor someone are those who are hiring quite specialized people such as chemists, engineers, tech, etc. It's quite a lot of trouble and paperwork for a company to sponsor someone.

Agree 100% here. To sponsor a foreigner, the company must show there are no US citizens with the same skills available. I do not know of a single company in DFW that is currently sponsoring foreign visas except for engineers, computer designers, etc. It is extremely expensive and time-consuming for the company, and there are plenty of US citizens who are looking for work, so there's no need to sponsor someone.

Come over and take a nice holiday, but as someone else mentioned, coming in on a visitor visa and securing employment is not allowed.

[TrueDat]

To the OP, what is your degree in? Also, it might be easier for a UK citizen to find employment in Australia, which currently has a lower unemployment rate than the US, a much lower unemployment rate than the UK/EU, and has a history of having lots of Brits coming over to work (and vice versa). You might have more luck getting an Australian work visa than an American one. If you go to their immigration web site, you can find all the details. If your degree is in engineering, you might really be in luck as they really seem to want those.

Visas, Immigration and Refugees

[KW85]

Thanks all for the feedback, I think I will take the advice on board and try my luck one more time here in Europe . I certainly don't want to break any laws in the process of finding work. I'll still be going on vacation but I'll cut down the length of time I stay. I'm going to give it a few months and see if I get any responses before abandoning the idea completely. Thanks for the honest and prompt feed back