From Pakistan to Los Angeles (apartment, insurance, crime)

[ahsanfu3]

Hey y'all,

I live in Karachi, Pakistan and I was born here, have traveled to a couple of countries and now I think about moving to LA to earn decent money and maybe try to get work in Hollywood.

I have lived a year in Glasgow and LA before, attended a couple of acting schools, really love LA, the weather is good, nice friendly people and a lot of places to hang out like great beaches and clubs.

Well now, the problem is that I dont have a college or university's degree and no past job experience, what I have is passion for earning money and make it on the screen. So in your opinion should I move to LA and leaving behind my friends, family, house and car to maybe work part time or get job as a janitor or a handyman or something like that in LA so that maybe one day I can make it in Hollywood or even if not then maybe earn a couple hundred thousands.

I know many people have become homeless and while some people have even made it in Hollywood like Channing Tatum. The problem here is Karachi is not developed much and a lot crime and political up downs fcks up my business here.

Really need honest opinions.

[jm1982]

You aren't going to find many on here saying it's a great idea .

Becoming the next Channing Tatum or other household name is probably as likely as hitting lotto ...or probably less likely .

LA is filled with people that moved from elsewhere to become famous in Hollywood .

Sure there are nice things about LA but it's also pretty expensive to live here too .

I think you should have more of a solid plan than maybe working part time or get a job as janitor or handyman .

Do you have any savings now ? Just for an apartment you will need first month ,last and security which will be several thousand dollars .

Did you go on any auditions or get jobs last time you were in LA ?

I think if I were in your shoes I'd move somewhere that has a lot of jobs that is cheap to live in and save up money ,then move to LA .

Our unemployment rate is very high here compared to the nation.

Also I'm wondering about the process of moving from Pakistan to the USA , isn't it a process unless you are going to college here or have a work visa ?

[LuvSouthOC]

OP claims he was born here.

[ahsanfu3]

No, luvsouthOC i was not born in California, if I was born in california i would have never moved to Pakistan in the first place.

jm1982, actually I do have enough savings to get me through the first two months, but thats it, just two months not a day more than that.
Visa process is not an issue at all as I can easily claim asylum because I do have a couple of security threats here in Pakistan and also my uncle is an immigration attorney in US.
Last time I was in LA I was on training visa which did not allow me to work so I didnt apply for any job.

[jm1982]

If you only have the first two months saved up, I wouldn't do it. That is just not enough savings.

Also if you are seriously considering getting into Hollywood, you will need a car..you won't be able to rely on the public transit for that . That's going to cost quite a bit right there in gas,insurance,car payment,etc.

Do you have any friends/family in L.A that you could live with in the beginning (to save money) or would you be totally alone?

[ahsanfu3]

Ill be totally alone, hardly any friends, but would live in a hostel for a month to save up some money. Last time I was in LA i didnt have a car, i mostly took buses and subways.

Also, my parents used to send me 1200 dollar a month and that used to be suffiicient for me to travel and live in a studio on Hollywood Blvd.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by ahsanfu3

Visa process is not an issue at all as I can easily claim asylum because I do have a couple of security threats here in Pakistan and also my uncle is an immigration attorney in US

Even if you apply for asylum, you cannot work for 180 days (6 months):
Asylum | USCIS
http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/f...int_Notice.pdf

There is a forum here if you have other questions:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/legal-immigration/

[LuvSouthOC]

This cannot possibly be a real post as you know the ISI (as do other govrnments) reads and intercepts communications from Pakistan and such things would never be written.

Moreover, the premise of the post is absurd.

[yamota]

Looks like you got another winner, LA!

[ahsanfu3]

No luvsouthOC, i dont give F about governments reading my post and tht kinda stuff, I do have some security concerns here as you know the conditions here in Pakistan and I dont care cuz its true and as long as I have my freedom of speech I dont care what info they intercept, and besides that what the hell does ISi or govt have to do with me moving to LA. Duh.

And, Yamota, you dont know whats in the future for me, so dont judge bro, if you cant encourage atleast dont make fun.