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In about 5-7 years time (i know its a long time away to be thinking about already) I hope to be fully qualified and I have the typical american dream. I'm from the UK, which I find extremely boring and the weather and just general style of life is awful. I don't like it at all and would never stay here when I'm older. So I really like the sound of California, USA (which alot of people do, I know.)
But I don't want to live in L.A at all. I just want a quiet, neighbourly county in California with nice weather and good access to the California lifestyle, like a city or somewhere to work, some good shops and maybe a nice beach?
Now this might be what everyone wants, I dont know. But if its my dream, I will work hard to make it happen. I am a very determained person and I will get there, even if there is trouble with visas and work.
I plan to work in California and I will be qualified. Work Visa? Hard to get, I know, because of sponsers and everything, but not impossible at all.
However, moving from the UK to the USA is extremely hard work, visas, leaving family and my whole life behind really, and money. Are there any less expensive, perhaps not your perfect Californian county, but a safe place to start when going to California? I can work my way up to my dream, I just want an okay apartment or whatever to start with, maybe 2 or 3 roomates, anywhere sounding remotely like I'd like it?
And my dream isn't the typical LA/Hollywood dream of becoming a popstar or movie star or whatever, I want to work in bussiness or perhaphs for a magazine, editing or writing for them? I'd like a job in media but not neccesarily on the acting/performing side of the media.
But I would like to stay in California for a long time, I wouldn't like a limit and then I have to get out of the country, I'd like a permenant visa, a base to start a new life in America, not just a summer thing or whatever.
Thanks for reading all this, I really appreciate your time, I'd love some answers, California is my dream!
I don't want to live in L.A at all. I just want a quiet, neighbourly county in California with nice weather and good access to the California lifestyle, like a city or somewhere to work, some good shops and maybe a nice beach?
You described Orange County quite well.
If you want access to beaches, 1st class shopping, quiet areas, safety, and beautiful beaches-the O.C. will be a dream.
Idea- You plan on coming out in 5-7 years, and want no limits. ..Why don't you just file your citzenship paperwork now? ..At best, you can file, get a visa, then recieve citizenship before your visa expires...(just a thought).
You described Orange County quite well.
If you want access to beaches, 1st class shopping, quiet areas, safety, and beautiful beaches-the O.C. will be a dream.
Idea- You plan on coming out in 5-7 years, and want no limits. ..Why don't you just file your citzenship paperwork now? ..At best, you can file, get a visa, then recieve citizenship before your visa expires...(just a thought).
Is the O.C expensive though? I've heard that Southern California in general is pretty expensive and the Orange County is one of the nicest areas, so obviously it must be very expensive, right? Even if you were renting some apartment with roomates, would I be able to manage? I probably wouldn't be on a high paying job as such, as I would have only just got my qualifications but I'm a hardworker, and so hopefully I can get a nice job offer out there willing to sponser me (thats the hard part.)
I can't start my preparations for a visa and all that yet, I'm not old enough. Its like, my dream and I'm quite mature for my age and very determained. It'll be hard, the only way I could relocate to the USA with the current visas and everything, would be to get a nice job offer and sponsorship over there. It's not easy getting a job overseas, especially in America! They'd have to prove no American Citizen could do the job better, too! And lets face it, how many companies are willing to invest in a young, just graduated, english student?
I have no family over there and the whole thing would be very hard leaving my family, as I'm quite the family girl =]
But my career is also very important to me and its not putting my career over my family, I wouldn't do that. Its getting a life of my own, and at the end of the day, I'm not gonna live with my parents my whole life, am i?!
I'm not settling down in America with a temporary visa. You could get deported whenever they feel like it and I don't want to move somewhere for a few years, only to be told I've GOT to leave in a few years. That's not my American Dream.
I'm a writer, I'd really like to work for a magazine or something like that. I plan to have the correct qualifications, thats my dream also =]
I've been writing since I was a little girl and I've known its what I want to do for years, and I think America will be ready for me =] lol.
America is such a fantastic opportunity and I only dream of getting there. I think America is a brilliant country, not like mine. I hate the UK. Its ALWAYS raining and we hardly ever get snow, its not the english fairytale some people dream of. Beleive me. And London is so nasty, full of yobs. You can get a nice, historic part of London, but even there you still get beggars. We were up in London and lots of guys saw my dad smoking, and asked for cigarettes! He gave them to the guys, to avoid trouble, but to me, thats really rude. God knows what they would've done if he'd said no, they didn't look too nice.
I appreciate all your comments and would love to hear from all of you!
Jessica Ann xxx
and the Orange County is one of the nicest areas, so obviously it must be very expensive, right? Even if you were renting some apartment with roomates, would I be able to manage?
We were up in London and lots of guys saw my dad smoking, and asked for cigarettes! He gave them to the guys, to avoid trouble, but to me, thats really rude. God knows what they would've done if he'd said no, they didn't look too nice.
x
Anything is possible. Plenty of people do it but not all of them can afford it. Current rentals will be about $1,000/month for a 1BR. If you decided to get roomies you'd save about $300/month.
Beggars are sometimes present even in the nicest of O.C. cities, but in general the public consensus is if you don't feed the birds, they'll fly somewhere else. Panhandling is not accepted here. Very few people think highly of it. Especially in coastal OC, where 80% of the panhandlers don't even live here permanently.
Is the O.C expensive though? I've heard that Southern California in general is pretty expensive and the Orange County is one of the nicest areas, so obviously it must be very expensive, right? Even if you were renting some apartment with roomates, would I be able to manage? I probably wouldn't be on a high paying job as such, as I would have only just got my qualifications but I'm a hardworker, and so hopefully I can get a nice job offer out there willing to sponser me (thats the hard part.)
I can't start my preparations for a visa and all that yet, I'm not old enough. Its like, my dream and I'm quite mature for my age and very determained. It'll be hard, the only way I could relocate to the USA with the current visas and everything, would be to get a nice job offer and sponsorship over there. It's not easy getting a job overseas, especially in America! They'd have to prove no American Citizen could do the job better, too! And lets face it, how many companies are willing to invest in a young, just graduated, english student?
I have no family over there and the whole thing would be very hard leaving my family, as I'm quite the family girl =]
But my career is also very important to me and its not putting my career over my family, I wouldn't do that. Its getting a life of my own, and at the end of the day, I'm not gonna live with my parents my whole life, am i?!
I'm not settling down in America with a temporary visa. You could get deported whenever they feel like it and I don't want to move somewhere for a few years, only to be told I've GOT to leave in a few years. That's not my American Dream.
I'm a writer, I'd really like to work for a magazine or something like that. I plan to have the correct qualifications, thats my dream also =]
I've been writing since I was a little girl and I've known its what I want to do for years, and I think America will be ready for me =] lol.
America is such a fantastic opportunity and I only dream of getting there. I think America is a brilliant country, not like mine. I hate the UK. Its ALWAYS raining and we hardly ever get snow, its not the english fairytale some people dream of. Beleive me. And London is so nasty, full of yobs. You can get a nice, historic part of London, but even there you still get beggars. We were up in London and lots of guys saw my dad smoking, and asked for cigarettes! He gave them to the guys, to avoid trouble, but to me, thats really rude. God knows what they would've done if he'd said no, they didn't look too nice.
I appreciate all your comments and would love to hear from all of you!
Jessica Ann xxx
Hi Jessica,
I am a British citizen living in California. We came here 5 years ago and for all the reasons you stated - nice standard of living, great weather, good job opportunities....however, it isn't easy...housing and health care are phenomenally expensive, you can also pay a mortgage-sized rent in certain areas. Southern CA is an area that quite alot of native californians are trying to leave just because it is so expensive and for other reasons like crime and traffic - (horrendous). To be honest with you it would be very difficult to get a work visa to be a journalist out here mainly because it is not a high priority profession for the immigration services - inotherwords they already have plenty of their own- however having said that all is not lost for you as you could get a green card easily with the right required qualifications - if you became a nurse for example or anything medical related- that would make it easier for you to come here. If I was you I would become something in the medical profession - get myself over here -get the green card (as this is your ticket to being able to stay and change jobs and professions in the US without any hassle) - work for a while- get some money saved up because nurses etc do get paid very well and your money will go further if you are living somewhere like Northern CA for example..if you still want to be a journalist by then you could do it part time and eventually full -time because you could even get citizenship by then - you must reside in the USA at least 5 years before applying for this anyway..
There, does that help at all ?...the UK isn't that bad really...at least health care although definitely not the best in the world...it is at least free!!!! Nothing is free here..I took my son to the ER when he cut his arm quite deeply...they charged $1000 an HOUR!!!!! Yes, that's right an HOUR!!! We did have insurance but that's not the point...it was after all just a cut arm..We had to wait 2 hours as well...so you see my point that being something here medically would be extremely lucrative for someone like you who has had a British education...something that is highly prized over here... feel free to ask me anything regarding living and working here....- where are you in the UK? Mumof3
Your post was really helpful, thankyou, mumof3! It's nice to hear from someone who is from the UK and now in California (and so nice too, to spend all that time writing to me. I very much appreciate it) Obviously, Journalism is a profession with lots of American Workers already, as you described, especially in L.A, California (I would imagine?)
Journalism isn't my only interest though. I'm very interested in other professions such as Business, Media and also American Law. Are these better choices, do you think?
Visas are so hard to get hold of. Are you sure United Kingdom Citizens can participate in the Green Card Lottery? From what I've heard, we can't participate in the Green Card Lottery at all, we're excluded from it. How did you manage to get over? Obviously, if you moved 5 years ago, you moved at just the right time.. Immigration has become much harder for the English since terrorism and such. (Sorry to have to say that)
The other thing that worries me (and i'm sorry to have to mention it) is "natural disasters" such as earthquakes, mudslikes and hurricanes. Have californians found these a problem?
I LOVE the sound of California and am really interested in getting fully qualified before going over there. I am really interested in American Law, also. So a possibility (if i get the right qualifications before hand.. to study American Law in Britain is hideously expensive and put it this way, you need 3 A-Levels to an "A" standard... you know, as a previous UK resident, how hard that is to get, right?) is to become a Lawyer in America? Are these (or more like, will they be in around 7 years time) in high demand, do you think?
Thankyou so much for your time. I'm from the South of England (where are you from in the UK?), its okay I suppose down here, but England is becoming increasingly expensive and intimidating. I know I was born here and everything, but I've never liked it. I find it extremely boring and politics rules everything. There are more people who cant be bothered to find work than professional workers here and I just don't like the english attitute/weather, and I'd love to see the world if you see what I mean. I'm very determained and a bit of a career girl =] Its important to me and America could be my dream
Lets hope the visas and such work out.. eh?
I'm the sort of person who couldn't ever do anything in the medical profession =D it scares me, lol.
I appreciate their work but I could never do it myself.
I'm the girl who couldn't watch Holby City to save her life and hates scary movies, you know.
Jessica Ann xx
Your post was really helpful, thankyou, mumof3! It's nice to hear from someone who is from the UK and now in California (and so nice too, to spend all that time writing to me. I very much appreciate it) Obviously, Journalism is a profession with lots of American Workers already, as you described, especially in L.A, California (I would imagine?)
Journalism isn't my only interest though. I'm very interested in other professions such as Business, Media and also American Law. Are these better choices, do you think?
Visas are so hard to get hold of. Are you sure United Kingdom Citizens can participate in the Green Card Lottery? From what I've heard, we can't participate in the Green Card Lottery at all, we're excluded from it. How did you manage to get over? Obviously, if you moved 5 years ago, you moved at just the right time.. Immigration has become much harder for the English since terrorism and such. (Sorry to have to say that)
The other thing that worries me (and i'm sorry to have to mention it) is "natural disasters" such as earthquakes, mudslikes and hurricanes. Have californians found these a problem?
I LOVE the sound of California and am really interested in getting fully qualified before going over there. I am really interested in American Law, also. So a possibility (if i get the right qualifications before hand.. to study American Law in Britain is hideously expensive and put it this way, you need 3 A-Levels to an "A" standard... you know, as a previous UK resident, how hard that is to get, right?) is to become a Lawyer in America? Are these (or more like, will they be in around 7 years time) in high demand, do you think?
Thankyou so much for your time. I'm from the South of England (where are you from in the UK?), its okay I suppose down here, but England is becoming increasingly expensive and intimidating. I know I was born here and everything, but I've never liked it. I find it extremely boring and politics rules everything. There are more people who cant be bothered to find work than professional workers here and I just don't like the english attitute/weather, and I'd love to see the world if you see what I mean. I'm very determained and a bit of a career girl =] Its important to me and America could be my dream
Lets hope the visas and such work out.. eh?
Jessica Ann xx
....Well, I'm always happy to help fellow Brits -
....No I'm afraid Law unfortunately isn't one of the required professions - there are already too many lawyers here - you must be aware that the US is one of the most litigatious places on the planet, right? You can sue anyone for anything really and most do....Americans are like that...if they can make money out of any big/small corporation that way they will!!! You might want to look at an American Immigration website because this would probably confirm what I have been saying and also maybe give you an idea about what other professions could be available to you.
....Yes, you are dead right, the green card lottery is not available to UK residents except for Nothern Ireland - I believe....but like I said before if you have the right qualifications ie, in a medical related profession or IT oriented career - (like my husband) then you can get a green card because they are crying out for people like you here...you wouldn't have to be a nurse anyway, that was just an example, there are plenty of other opportunities you could pursue as it is a huge field - but if you could become a nurse... then you would get a green card right away - that is how desperate they are here for health professionals..and British Health professionals are highly sought after in most countries....
...Yes, you are right - in Southern CA in particular they are prone to earthquakes and one is expected soon (!) - people don't worry about it - there are literally thousands of mini earthquakes every year but they are so small no one really notices them....
....Well, your qualifications whatever you get will be better than the ones they have here - believe me on this!!!!
....Well, I'm originally from the North-West of England but have lived all over the place. By the way if you don't like politics - oh dear - because Americans are very very political and some are hypocritically religious as well.
RIR Reduction in Recruitment
This portion of the visa can take up to 10 years now in California, the same will only take 6 months in somewhere like Iowa.
Nurses bypass RIR entirely, people like surgeons, chemists, physicists etc all bypass RIR
The I-140 stage can take up to a year, but you'll get travel documents within 90 days and a temporary green card.
Upon approval, passports need to be revalidated and this can take a period of time, 3 months for us.
This process costs up to $20,000 on your own, if sponsored by a company its free, but they normally stipulate that you work for them for a number of years afterwards.
H1-B is a 6 year temporary work visa. This visa will allow you to work and get a social security number. It will expire however, and you will get deported, as happened to a number of my Indian friends. If however you are so far along on a green card application they will renew the H1 every year after expiry due to the extended wait times.
Have you thought of becoming an Irish citizen? If you do that you'll get a free green card through their lottery system as they never meet their quota?
You plan on coming out in 5-7 years, and want no limits. ..Why don't you just file your citzenship paperwork now? ..At best, you can file, get a visa, then recieve citizenship before your visa expires...(just a thought).
Don't listen to this advice its totally wrong. In order to become a citizen you need to have a green card. Once you have a green card you need to wait 5 years before you can apply for citizenship. Then you need to take a citizenship test, which is a thorough test on US history and again have the FBI check you out before taking the pledge. Oh and you are also meant to give up your UK passport on becoming a US citizen.
Wow, I didn't know you had to give up your UK passport in order to become a US Citizen!
Like I already mentioned before, there is no way I could do any job in the medical profession, there's no chance of me becoming a US Nurse.
It could take 10 years to get a visa based on qualifications?! That wouldn't be much use.
Shame Law isn't in high demand, with Harvard over in the US and everything, I suppose they already have loads of fantastic ones of their own...
What other professions do you suggest.. not medical?
Thankyou for your replies.
Jessica Ann xx
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Idea- You plan on coming out in 5-7 years, and want no limits. ..Why don't you just file your citzenship paperwork now? ..At best, you can file, get a visa, then recieve citizenship before your visa expires...(just a thought).
My journalism american DREAM
Thankyou for your post!
I LOVE the sound of California and am really interested in getting fully qualified before going over there. I am really interested in American Law, also. So a possibility (if i get the right qualifications before hand.. to study American Law in Britain is hideously expensive and put it this way, you need 3 A-Levels to an "A" standard... you know, as a previous UK resident, how hard that is to get, right?) is to become a Lawyer in America? Are these (or more like, will they be in around 7 years time) in high demand, do you think?
Hi again....
