Moving from UK to Orlando area - advice needed (Mount Dora: lawyer, real estate)

[yolkie]

Hi,

This is my first post so I'm aware it will probably seem naive and I apologise if any of my questions have already been addressed or answered in other threads or posts.

Yes, it's the tired old "my family and I are thinking of moving, etc".

I made the announcement of wanting to move to Orlando, my long-term girlfriend wants to, my mother too, and my brother and his girlfriend want to as well. We've all been there on holiday numerous times so though we don't exactly know what it's like to live over there, we've at least an idea of the areas.

Looking into the idea I know there are issues considering employment but that is something I'll come to later.

I looked at some houses on what appears to be a recent development from Moderator cut: removed real estate url , it lists them as Clermont (I think it's that area anyway, basically near-ish the back end of Disney's Animal Kingdom area).

Having read some posts and having concerns of my own, here are my questions, preferably for people who have done the whole process (sorry in advance for the lengthy first post!!!) -

Is Clermont a nice place to live? If not, which areas would you advise? If so, what is good about the area?

Before committing to buying we obviously want to rent first, so which agencies are the best to go through for that? Agencies which won;t rip us off!

I read about there being various taxes and fees that Brits are typically unaware of before they move, such as pest control fees, state taxes, etc. What kind of fees or taxes are there and how much are they typically?


Employment-wise -

My brother is a tiler - (ceramic tiler) - I know people say if you have a trade it's easier to get a Visa, is this considered a trade, and if so, what is the average wage?

How difficult is it to find jobs, and what process would people advise us of going about it considering there are 5 of us? For example, if I were to get a job, and rent a house, could my girlfriend come over with me and be supported by me while she found a job?

A follow on question, I suppose, are visa's considered on individual basis or on household basis, and are there any extenuating circumstances? I expect that it's individual but I just thought I'd ask.

In the first few weeks we're not expecting to be on the road straight away, so what are the domestic local bus services like (around Clermont, in particular)?


And just in general, have any families of this size moved together, how did it work out, what advice would you give etc.

What kind of timescale from conception to actually moving and settling down have people experienced?

Basically, answer as if you're telling someone who knows nothing, because I'm in the planning stages.

I know there are a lot of questions but I'm sure that's no surprise!

I appreciate any advice at all.

[BUNCE29]

Hi we move to orlando in nov if all goes well on the visa,
to move there you need a vsia or a E2 visa it takes time and money,
you need a good visa agent.

paul

[marypoppins]

Originally Posted by yolkie

Looking into the idea I know there are issues considering employment but that is something I'll come to later

Hi, and welcome from a fellow Brit

I read your post several times over and wasn't sure where to start, so I decided to highlight the above quote as the most important issue.

I hope you don't take this as being unhelpful, but until you find a way to live and work here legally, all your other questions about nice places to live etc are not worth your thinking about.

From the info you've given about your family situation, and your hopes of all moving here together........ain't gonna happen I'm afraid

Have a read of this, from the US Embassy website, see if you fit into any of the categories to qualify for an immigrant visa.........

Immigrant Visas U.S. Embassy London

[tonrob]

I'll have to go for the tired old, "You're joking, right?" response...

[Alphaman]

Unless you have mad money I don't think this is a realistic goal at all.

[yolkie]

Thanks for the constructive reply there (!), tonrob. I admitted I knew nothing - surely it was worth the question.

marypoppins - cheers - I realise it's unlikely as well, I just wanted to know if it was possible. There is the possibility that in the company I work for I could get an overseas transfer which is my best (easiest/quickest) way of doing so, and as my brother is skilled that's how he would be looking to get a visa (our major worry is that our partners would not be able to get a job straightaway, and that that could stop them gaining entry). I know it's still a long process and somewhat of a lottery, but I'd taken that as a given anyway.. I'd expected that to be the toughest obstacle from everything I've read and heard from others, which is why I was asking the more general questions, to gain more information on the things we don't know.

Thanks for all the advice though.

[tonrob]

Originally Posted by yolkie

Thanks for the constructive reply there (!), tonrob. I admitted I knew nothing - surely it was worth the question.

Sorry - your post was so far removed from reality in terms of what's possible that I assumed it was a wind-up. We do get a lot of trolls on here. As you'd labeled your question "the tired old my family and I are thinking of moving question" then it seemed that you must have seen that the question had been asked a hundred times this year and therefore read the answers (and not posted your own question in the same old generalized way).

You somehow left out the only reasonable (on the face of it) chance you have from your first post, i.e. your own job transfer. So - go ahead and do that (L1 visa), marrying your girlfriend first (so, as your wife she gets an L2). If your employer will sponsor you to get Green Cards (add another 1 to 3 years from date of arrival) then you can sponsor your mother (although this will take several more years to achieve).

As for your brother - a trade does not make it easier to get a visa (you're getting mixed up with Australia) so his main hope on the face of it would be to start of buy his own business (perhaps based upon his trade) which will require a capital investment on his part and then his stay will be contingent upon the continued viability of that business. He should really get married first too. Depending on what kind of work he has going on back home then he also needs to ask himself if he would really want to start a business in the current US economy - it's bad enough for Americans right now let alone people whose very ability to remain in the country depends on not just existence, but profitability of their business.

So, in summary, I'd worry less about pest control fees and more about job transfers and wedding bells....

Good luck (I mean that).

[LindyUK]

Hi Yolkie,
If you care to look back a few pages you will see another couple of threads about Brits wanting to move to Orlando (Florida) (I joined in with one thread as we too had a dream of moving over there). We are going over on vacation next month and we had booked a consultation with an immigration lawyer and decided to do as much background work first and thank god I found this forum site, all who responded were very informative and helpful (Mary Poppins & Tonrob included) and we very soon realised that unless we were prepared to invest in a US Business (buying a business over there and then once bought applying for the Visa thereafter) we stood no chance of ever gaining a foot in the door (hubby is a self employed electrician but they are *two a dime* in Florida), and no company were going to sponsor him to work over there when they have their pick of the bunch right on their doorstep, and, although we did consider the route of buying a business, or starting up a new one, we decided, at our time in life it wasnt a viable proposition, as we had in mind of working hard and making a new life for ourselves, but was told we would only be elgible to remain in Florida whilst the business was up and running.............so the only positive thing to come out of all of this is that we saving ourselves $150 on the consultation fee, as we are not bothering with that now, when we have been told all the facts as they are for free.
Also, Yolkie, not sure what line of work you are in, but unless your current company are prepared to transfer you (which would be your best bet of getting into the US), you will be quite shocked at the low wages there compared to here, yet, although the actual houses are ridiculously cheap there compared to here, their utility costs can work out higher than here!
(Hubby would be lucky to get $13 an hour (£6.50)!!!! and thats for having a skill).
If you care to view the other threads on this subject I am sure you will be as amazed as I was at the low wages/high cost of living, and having been over to Florida many times you think everyone has such a wonderful life consisting of eating out every night, partying, going round the Disney Parks at their leisure etc etc, something which I feel quite ashamed of now, as in truth, an awful lot of the normal-everyday Floridians are really struggling to make it through.
All the best of luck anyway, my only advise is to listen to the answers to your questions very carefully and take it all on board ~ these guys LIVE there & WORK there so they know what they are talking about :O)

[BILLDEESE]

Yolkie.
I can't help you with the visa information but as far as an area to live I will shed some insight for you. Clermont is an area located in South Lake County that had an explosion of uncontrolled growth because of its proximity to Disney, Universal, etc. With this uncontrolled growth came congested roads, unplanned infrstructure to accomodate the growth, over-crowded schools, a sea of ugly rooftops, etc.

A much nicer area you might want to consider and check out is Mount Dora in Northeast Lake County. Located near the 429 expressway it affords easy access to Orlando and is only 30 minutes from Disney and downtown. It is a very scenic lake front city with a friendly quaint downtown and dedicated to keeping the area beautiful. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance

[LindyUK]

Its no good him looking at ANY area to live ~ we made the same mistake ~ looked through listings of real estate pages and saw some fantastic properties, got all excited about the prospect of buying a huge house complete with pool at such a low price compared to here in UK, and then come on here to have all our hopes dashed by being told the truth! No matter which area is considered *Nice* to live, its no good without having a visa or your foot in the door!! And hes already been told what avenues of gaining entry are open to him (as with us, its virtually zero, unless he has a stash of $$$$'s lying around somewhere).
Sorry, this isnt meant to be offensive in any way, but am trying to be realistic as Yolkie is probably in same boat as we were a few months back, seeing all these wonderful properties and in his head hes living the *dream* life.

Originally Posted by BILLDEESE

Yolkie.
I can't help you with the visa information but as far as an area to live I will shed some insight for you. Clermont is an area located in South Lake County that had an explosion of uncontrolled growth because of its proximity to Disney, Universal, etc. With this uncontrolled growth came congested roads, unplanned infrstructure to accomodate the growth, over-crowded schools, a sea of ugly rooftops, etc.

A much nicer area you might want to consider and check out is Mount Dora in Northeast Lake County. Located near the 429 expressway it affords easy access to Orlando and is only 30 minutes from Disney and downtown. It is a very scenic lake front city with a friendly quaint downtown and dedicated to keeping the area beautiful. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance