Moving to San Francisco from England. (apartment, rent, how much)

[Cypher_09]

My plan is to visit and study in San Francisco (after visiting, of course) as an international undergraduate student from the UK. I will be pursuing education in the creative/technological field (Music, Music Technology and Music Business). I will be in my early-twenties by the time I have finished my education (I am 18 now, then I have 2 years of further studies (Studying Musical Performance Skills, Music Technology, Music Composition, Musicianship, Music History, Music Business and Instrumental Skills (Piano) before studying even more in the US). I have as-levels in Computing, English Language, Physics, General Studies and Mathematics (Though, the maths is a grade E).

I'm here basically just to ask, what is the best way for someone like myself to go about doing this? The student visa/banking will be "easy" enough to handle, but if, after visiting, that I want to move to SF (or anywhere close-by), what would be the best way to go about it?

Looking at the immigration visa types, there is the work visa. If I were to pursue this route, would that require me getting an immediate graduate job following my studies in SF? I just want to know what I'm up against and what I have to do, should I decide to stay. If not, will I have to come back to the UK and apply for jobs over the internet?

There is also the "become a fiancé of a US citizen" route. This is achievable, but must definitely NOT be relied upon. I say this is achievable because that's what my grandmother did with my grandfather to become a UK citizen from The Netherlands. They married quickly in their early-twenties and were together 'til death. I guess you could say, she is my inspiration in this.

I'm also aware that the cost of living is sky high in SF, and that I should use Craigslist to find an apartment/flat. This should hopefully not be too big of a problem if I have an income, and a potential second income (Providing I have found a local job).

I'm not sure which area would be best for me to move to, I will spend my visiting time(s) (roughly a week[at a time]) getting to know the areas and their vibes, to see which suits me. Do you have an outline of each different area? That would be useful.

If I married a US citizen, and we both had no sources of income, I would ask to stay with one of her relatives, and pay my way in other forms (chores, etc), until I've found a job. This feels a little wrong, I can't place why. What would you do in this situation? I'm just trying to think of everything possible.

Temporary visas are something I could use too, if you have any ideas.

Healthcare is a completely new thing for me, as over here I get it free. How would I go about getting a healthcare plan? How much would it cost, at cheapest?

I'm trying, as you can see, to think of every little thing possible -even food/drink. I will have some funds saved up for temporary food/drink for a couple of months, maybe more.

I hope you can answer some, if not all of my questions.

Thankyou for reading!

Edit: I have a best-friend here in England who would probably be willing to move out to SF with me, how would this help? Besides halving the rent (a great thing), would he need to get a job too to be elligible for a permanent visa? (I think he would). I will invite him anyway, even if I did meet a partner. It would be great having another English person with me (especially him), but it will also decrease my rent fee . Is there any info(are there any tips) on moving to the US with a friend?

[Curmudgeon]

Since you're already looking for "angles" to be admitted to the U.S., please don't come!

[bmw335xi]

To answer your initial question...

Contact the university of your choice in San Francisco and their admission's department will tell you everything you need to do in order to a get student visa to study in the US. Study hard in school and keep a clean criminal history report and try to find a job in the US upon graduation and take it from there. I have some international friends who got jobs after completing their undergrad and are now working full time in the US.

You may want to check out the University of San Francisco or San Francisco Art Institute.

Good luck!

[mayorhaggar]

The student visa should be really easy to get. Like, "ok, you're going to college here, here's a visa." A work visa or greencard will be harder, I really don't know the specifics but I think the main routes are a greencard, which is basically a free pass to move here without a job, but you have to enter a lottery and the chances you win it aren't good...and the other is a work visa where you're sponsored by an employer.

In any case talk to someone who works on immigration or who has gone through the process in the US. Maybe see if there is an immigration lawyer you could talk to in the UK for tips.

[mayorhaggar]

Also considering this topic is more about immigration and not the Bay Area, there is an immigration forum here:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/legal-immigration/

Hopefully people there have good advice though I imagine that forum is a magnet for old racists who don't make a distinction between the illegal Mexicans they hire to mow their lawn and people from Europe.

[gnomatic]

The original post has a whole lot of "WHAT IF" scenarios.... the original poster needs to read up on the OFFICIAL USCIS page:

USCIS Home Page

The eligibility for the greencard lottery is based on the applicants place of birth. If the OP was born in England, he does not (currently..which country is eligible changes every year, but England has not been on the list for awhile) qualify.

Getting a student visa, he will need to apply, get accepted, and prove his could afford the tuition and cost of living here.

Getting a work visa, he would need to apply to, get an offer from an employer willing to sponsor him for a position that qualifies under the visa program. He will also need to meet the educational requirement (if any) for that visa.

[Cypher_09]

Thanks for the help guys.

If I got a sponsor in the US, would they provide housing? Long shot question there.

[gnomatic]

Originally Posted by Cypher_09

Thanks for the help guys.

If I got a sponsor in the US, would they provide housing? Long shot question there.

AGAIN ...read up on the USCIS site. You are jumping to step 3 when you aren't even on step 1.
Legal immigration to the US (and most countries) isn't as simple as buying a plane ticket and hopping on a plane just because you want to.

None of the work visa sponsorship REQUIRES the sponsor (aka your employer) to provide housing. I believe family class sponsorship requires proof the sponsor can afford to support you.