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So no special paperwork, visas, or permits required? Has anyone here ever left the 50 states to live/work in a US possession? I'm curious about personal experiences.
All Puerto Ricans are US citizens, so any other US citizen can live and work there. Good paying jobs are hard to find unless you have certain skills that are in high demand (such as health care / medicine). PR has higher unemployment than the US mainland and average annual income is half of the poorest state in the US, so it might take some creativity to figure out how to make a decent living. PR has it's own taxation system, separate from US federal income tax (which is not paid on income earned in PR).
i have worked in the virgin islands and P.R. if you are from the mainland as they say, you need no permit's. good luck, you will need it, be very careful.
i have worked in the virgin islands and P.R. if you are from the mainland as they say, you need no permit's. good luck, you will need it, be very careful.
tommie
what do you mean by be careful? is it dangerous in certain areas more than others?
what do you mean by be careful? is it dangerous in certain areas more than others?
There are some very dangerous areas in Puerto Rico as there are anywhere else. Of course considering about half the island's population lives in poverty, there are a lot of poor/high crime neighborhoods.
Due to the heavy level of illegal drug trafficking on the island (similar to towns/cities along the Mexico/US border), there are areas where you will be warned at gunpoint to leave or you will be shot. I kid you not. Armed enforcers on dirt bikes or ATV's carrying AK-47's. Of course my biggest concern would be scammers and armed robbers as carjacking is pretty common in the high crime areas. It's like the crack era over there 24/7 only MUCH MORE of the population deals with that reality then Americans did during that period.
Of course as long as you avoid those high poverty drug infested ghettos you should not have to deal with that.
So no special paperwork, visas, or permits required? Has anyone here ever left the 50 states to live/work in a US possession? I'm curious about personal experiences.
gnubler, my husband is a pharmacist and we lived and worked on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a little over a year until the cost of living ran us out. Maybe it was just culture shock since we are from a fairly low cost of living area (Arkansas), but everything was just priced over the top there except rum. I think your level of income may have a lot to do with how comfortable you can be, and what you are willing to live without. The pay scale is not commensurate with the mainland in most every job and the costs of owning or renting a home are sky high, not to mention the utilities are owned by the government, which is delinquent on it's own utility bills!
It was a different way of life - it was beautiful and wonderful, but we found our comfort zone right back where we came from. P.R. and the V.I. are experiencing a massive surge of continentals, and continentals with a gob of money, from what I can tell.
There is no state tax in the V.I. and federal taxes are paid to the V.I. Revenue Bureau - and it is a mess to get your taxes filed that first year! No one seems to know what the tax code is.
If you are going to work in a tourist service industry, such as in a restaurant, you have to get a Health Card once you are there. Other than that, no special requirements. All government jobs are coveted and pretty much taken up by locals. Even if you are lucky enough to land a job, even with the feds, it could take months for it to actually come through.
Your best bet is transferring within a company that already has interests in the islands, unless you are 20+ and just want to wait tables or bartend and hang on the beach. Of course there are other job opportunities there - but much of the employment comes through the tourism industry.
Before making a giant move I would suggest spending 2-4 weeks on the island of your choice and living like a local. Many people in the V.I. rent out apartments that are attached to their personal residence or on their property, and some will rent by the week or month (not a lot, unfortunately, and this is the WORST time of year to try and relocate). Travel around the island during peak times - go the the grocery store and try to find the items you need to cook for a week. Find a doctor, dentist, hair salon. I think you will find life in the islands is just life with a prettier view, but a lot of folks end up leaving because they have to work two jobs to make ends meet and never get to do anything more than look at the view. Livin there is totally unlike a vacation, but you need to experience as close to the "real deal" as you can before moving. Doesn't matter what flag they are flying, it is a different culture. Much of your success is directly proportionate to your ability to adapt, and you have to put away the rose colored glasses to see if it's really for you.
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