help and opinions needed on orlando.. movin from the uk (Winter Park: 2011, apartments)

[misscuteymcpretty]

hi guys

ive come across these forums n really need some help with areas to move to in orlando!

im currently living in the UK, but after holidayin in orlando up until a few days ago im sure thats where i want to move. im 24 and im a girl, im movin a long way alone so need where i live to be pretty safe till i get to know the city better. ive looked at a couple of places like baldwin park and winter park, would you reccommend them?

im also possibly looking at gettin a flatmate when i move there, any ideas of where to advertise? the prospect of livin with a flatmate doesnt seem as daunting as livin alone..

PRICING wise.. if you could advise me of how much a decent apartment is to rent.. as ive been looking at ones around $550-700 pcm, in the uk i pay £575 pcm for a 3 bed.. so just wanna know if thats a good deal or not

also, if any other brits read this and could advise me of how long it took them to get their visa itd be great, im reading some horror stories online !!

thank you

[misscuteymcpretty]

oh also wanted to add.. i really wanted to move close to the millenia mall as it ideally where i want to work with the background i come from.. any good complexs there? as we drove by many.

[kalpha_25]

Born and raised in Orlando, and can tell you that Winter park is gonna be pricey. Baldwin it depends, not sure of the price range. Winter park is pretty upscale, so you would be pretty safe, but that is where a lot of wealthy people are, and not as much fun to hang for a younger person. Baldwin Park is a step down from Winter Park and has a lot of things to do there, and some pretty nice bars and pubs. Out by Millenia is nice, not sure about the price range, but as long as you stay away from the metro west area, you will probably be safe. MetroWest really isnt that bad, but has gotten a bad name recently. also stay away from paramore and pine hills.

[misscuteymcpretty]

Originally Posted by kalpha_25

Born and raised in Orlando, and can tell you that Winter park is gonna be pricey. Baldwin it depends, not sure of the price range. Winter park is pretty upscale, so you would be pretty safe, but that is where a lot of wealthy people are, and not as much fun to hang for a younger person. Baldwin Park is a step down from Winter Park and has a lot of things to do there, and some pretty nice bars and pubs. Out by Millenia is nice, not sure about the price range, but as long as you stay away from the metro west area, you will probably be safe. MetroWest really isnt that bad, but has gotten a bad name recently. also stay away from paramore and pine hills.

thanks for your reply! i actually like the apartments in baldwin that ive seen, is $600 a decent price for a one bed apartment?

i also seen an apartment, west winds, zip code 32819 n they look pretty good but again not sure about the area

[kalpha_25]

I am pretty sure that is the Dr. Phillips area and that is pretty safe. That apartment building is about 2 miles away from Tangelo Park, which is not that nice of a place. Overall that area of town is nice though. And $600 is about what you can expect to pay for a 1 bedroom anywhere in town. You can get cheaper but then you are looking at subsidized housing, which is for lower income families. That is where you will find the crime. They have them all around Orlando and that is why people say there are pockets of crime all over Orlando.

[AONE]

If you want to be near Millinea then you might look at the condos in the area too. Like Millinea Residences at Medici, Summergate, both are gated and very close also Cypress Springs(or Fairways its the one closest to the turnpike on Turkey Lake rd) there are several rentals in there and it is gated as well.

Baldwin is very nice, close to Fashion Square Mall which is drying up fast. Baldwin is 15-20 mins from Millinea.

[Jonotastic]

I recommend the Dr. Phillips area

[marypoppins]

Hi, I'm from the UK, been living here 4 years now.
What visa are you aiming for? This is what you should be concentrating on rather than looking at accommodation. You'll always be able to find somewhere suitable to live, but the visa is a different matter.
No visa = no moving to the USA.
Tell us a little more and then maybe we can advise you better.

No disrespect to the US citizens on here, but most don't realize how difficult it is to get a visa.

[tonihowe]

Hi, you're in same boat as me and my fiance. I'm a 24 year old Brit (living in Ireland at present though) too. Winter Park was where we looked into also. There are plenty of other nice areas too. Dr.Phillips as mentioned above is nice too. If you go for Winter Park, look at places near the college as these are cheaper and there will be more people around your age, plus you'll have more chance of finding a room mate. If you want to share look on Craiglist for shared accomodation. It might be easier to find a place that is already looking for room mates.

I thought I'd give you info on visa's. You mentioned working in Millenia so I'm assuming you plan to work in sales/retail. So I'll give you info on that, but let you know the other options too. As a warning getting a visa can be a hard and quite often long process. But you can be lucky!

1- Sales/retail (or any 'unskilled' work).
This is probably the toughest option. As there is many people in the US who could currently fill any sales/retail or other unskilled work vacancies, you won't be considered as 'needed' so will need to take the sponsorship route. This means contacting business and potential employers and finding someone who is willing to sponsor you. This person needs to be able to offer you a minimum amount of hours and pay (pretty much fund you living in the US) they also need to prove that they were unable to find a suitable US citizen to fill the vacancy. (Usually by putting an ad in local paper for a month or so and getting no suitable responses)
It can be hard to find employers in that line of work to do this as there are plenty of Americans available to fill the slot and the don't have to committ to certain hours or term of employement for that person.
But you can get lucky, I have friends who found shops, pubs, restaurants to sponsor them. It can take 1-3 years for this option. You would want to start researching local businesses and potential job oppurtunities now.

Other options
A- SKilled Work
If you have a degree or qualification it may be quicker to pursue that line of work. If it is a line of work that America needs more workers for (at the moment I think it's science and nursing/medicine), you can get a visa within a year. If it isn't a needed career then you have to take the sponsorship route as above but it may be a bit quicker as there will be less people able to fill a specific job requiring certain skills than there would be in unskilled work. Take approx 1-2 years.
Unless the company/employer you work for also has a business in Orlando and can 'transfer' you to that business. You would have your visa within a year.
B - Exceptional skills
My brothers option
If you have exceptional skills or are a genius. If you have a very specific skill or degree that an employer in US needs. E.g if NASA are looking for a new rocket engineer and you have a specific science/physics engineering degree. Or if the employer requires very specific experience. E.g. a special needs worker to work in a hospital who has a child psychology degree and special needs cert and has more than 5 year experience in working with children with Autism. Or are a genius in your line of work. E.g a maths and physics genius (my bro) and going for an honours degree at Cambridge. Or you are an exceptional sports player, dancer, singer, actor, model.
You generally have to have work lined up, but you get your visa in a few months!
C - Business Investment/Expansion
My option
If you own a business or plan to start a business in US. If you already own a business and setting up 1 in US also you have more chance, especially if you can offer employment and there are very few similar businesses. Need a detailed business plan and either enough money to fully set up your business (with no help from loans,etc) or a current business that is very successful (needs good rate of growth and v.good turn over. With sufficient money and chance of success you can have a visa in 6mnths - 1 yr
D - Visa Lottery
My back up
If you have an Irish parent (eligible for citizenship there) or a parent who is eligible for citizenship in a country that qualifies for visa lottery, you can switch your citizenship to that country and enter visa lottery. Lottery for 2011 taking place now. My dad has Irish citizenship and I qualify for it, plus I'm marrying an Irishman so we've both entered the lottery.
UK doesn't qualify, America cosiders their to be enough British in their country. Not sure how Ireland qualifies considering most of America claims to be Irish, but lucky for me we do.

Finally, once you have an idea of what visa you're going for. Do your research. Contact employers, look at what work is available in your line of work. What kind of qualifications can boost your chances, and look into taking them. Go over to America for a couple of month and take any courses that are the American equivelent of your qualification or do voluntary work experience in your line of work (must be unpaid or you'll get done by immigration).

I have a friend in immigration in Florida who helps us. If you PM any work details or similar I can find out exactly what your best option is and give you a better idea of how long it will take.
Hope this helps

[misscuteymcpretty]

Originally Posted by marypoppins

Hi, I'm from the UK, been living here 4 years now.
What visa are you aiming for? This is what you should be concentrating on rather than looking at accommodation. You'll always be able to find somewhere suitable to live, but the visa is a different matter.
No visa = no moving to the USA.
Tell us a little more and then maybe we can advise you better.

No disrespect to the US citizens on here, but most don't realize how difficult it is to get a visa.

hi

well i was aiming for a work visa, and that doesnt look to be happenning now.. as i havent completed my degree.. and im guessing itll be unlikely that a retail company will sponsor me, i dont even know where to start by approaching any to try my luck!

i spoke to a specialist in us immigration today, hes based in california, and he said my best bet is to get a student visa (not F1) and enroll at a community college as it wouldnt be as expensive as a normal uni and secondly itd get one foot in the door. the two years that im initially doing the course, he has advised me to build up my portfolio of editorial work as im a make up artist that does really well in the uk, and he said by the timeive finished the course we can apply for a visa based on "extraordinary talent".

this seems to be the best option, but being 24 i feel a bit odd going back into education but if its the quickest way ill do it. the only thing thats gonna delay me is that i have to have £12000 upfront to show the embassy, and im not allowed to work for the first year but he advised me people do cash in hand sorta jobs.. none of which i would have even the slightest idea about getting.

i DID give him another option.. sayin that my uncle is an american citizen but he said that wont matter, i also said that i could get a job offer from one of his contacts, who run their own businesses, but he said that wont work as it has to be a graduate job, is this true??

thanks for helping me out btw