Brits Who Have Made The Move To LA (Los Angeles, Santa Monica: rent, lawyer)

[BobbyBoy]

Hi All,

Sorry if this post seems a bit British heavy / favoured, but any advice would be welcome.

I was wondering what have been peoples experiences been like of moving to Los Angeles from the UK - immigration, accommodation, areas to live, employment etc

I am currently based in London and looking to move to LA to further my career as a talented agent and want to get people opinions and experiences of making the move.

thanks for any advice (or better still offers of jobs in a Talent Agency!!)

[kcmoduk]

I moved to LA last July.
It took me 6 months from start to finish to get the work permit and then a further 3 to get the green card.
I know a good lawyer in Santa monica which is a bit of a Brit enclave. Tip once you get here submit forms to Immigration through the Chicago office- LA is very, very slow,
LA is expensive compared to the rest of the U.S, house prices for example are comparable to London.
Traffic is awful be careful where you choose to live in comparison to work- Forget public transport!
Having said that - go for it, the pro's for outweigh the cons!!

[JackSparrow]

I worked with a company that was entirely made of brits...

Just make sure your paperwork is in order, and you'll be fine; that was everyone's biggest concern when they were here: paperwork status.

Outside of that, there are more than enough experiences and brits to keep you happy. I know one gang of guys that used to get up at 4am to go to a pub (yes, the pub would open extra early) so everyone could watch Arsenal kick Chelsea's arse via satellite. (Or some such business)

[queue "Englishman in New York"]

Except don't go to New York:

“When it’s fall in New York, the air smells as if someone’s been frying goats in it, and if you are keen to breathe the best plan is to open a window and stick your head in a building.” - Douglas Adams

[straight outta camden]

It's fine. Underneath the surface L.A. is quite a lot like London--e.g. it has several centres and lots of small houses, and most people own cars. Hollywood (the industry, not the neighbourhood) is crawling with Brits with accents in various states of confusion. Santa Monica is Brit central but it is horrendously expensive and you may not relish the idea of hanging out with your fellow countrymen. In general the cost of living is much like London. Rent is slightly more expensive, supermarket food is more expensive, eating out is cheaper, petrol is cheaper, cars are a lot cheaper.

By the way, is "talented agent" a typo or is that really what they are called? Too perfect if so...

[Ronnie Sweeney]

any jobs for Patternmakers?

[tonrob]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Sweeney

any jobs for Patternmakers?

Do you make patterns?

[Miss Pip]

I'm from South London and I've been living in LA for 2 years now and getting jobs has been very easy for me. I'm a graphic/web designer/illustrator etc.
Immigration was a bit long but receiving my greencard took 3 months without any additional torture.

I absolutely love living in LA. In London I would get depressed a lot in the winter (S.A.D) but out here the sun is out 90% of the time and I just feel a lot better out here. I do miss London summers and the people. I miss how London was in the 90's and early 2000.

The only problem I've had has been my body adapting to the environment. It's all getting better now but I would develop allergies, the water would eff up my skin and sometimes the sun would make my thighs proper blotchy but with a change of diet it's all getting better.

[nowincal11]

How did you get sponsored for the Green card?

[tonrob]

Originally Posted by nowincal11

How did you get sponsored for the Green card?

That's the 64 thousand dollar question - and the one that gets glossed over a lot on these threads.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by nowincal11

How did you get sponsored for the Green card?

If you're rich, I'm single.