I've become obsessed with living in America. What are the pros and cons?

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jismith1989

You've sold me already!

well...what can i say?

Other than i work for American Airlines and I'm taxing you on just thinking about it.

eh, i actually want to move to Boston/Chicago. I don't know why they are both pretty ****** but what the hell. St. Patrick's day will be forever 'aawwwesome'! etc...

Reply 201

UGeNe

EducatingBrogan

You could be the male Nigella.

I disgusted and intrigued at the same time.

Go on.

Reply 202

faber niger

Delta Usafa

What the hell just happened to this thread? o.O

Sorry, it was I! I'm the decline of humankind personified. :cry:

Reply 203

Delta Usafa

HatfulofHollow

Eeeew, not Chicago. Hated that place. D:

Boston on the other hand is pretty friggin amazing!

Reply 204

bayvet

Redemption

But the people are ugly

lol this must be a joke

Reply 205

User192499

How difficult is it to get a resident's permit for America?

Reply 206

UGeNe

EducatingBrogan

How difficult is it to get a resident's permit for America?

It depends how far you are prepared to go?

Marry me! :biggrin:

Reply 207

JT87

EducatingBrogan

How difficult is it to get a resident's permit for America?

Extremely. Basically for most people it won't ever happen.
Best chance is probably getting married to someone, after that, is probably getting an intracompany transfer (L) visa from working at a UK branch of a US company, you'd most likely have to work several years before this opportunity came up. There's an H1b visa too, but you have to do a job that no other American can do, plus you'd have to have an employer in the first place, and you'd have to be special since the employer would have to pay upwards of $5000 to process your case and so on. All of these can possibly lead to a Permanent Residency, but it's not guaranteed at all. You can also "buy" your way into the country if you buy a business valued at $250,000 upwards (I think?)

Basically, nowadays, it's extremely hard and most people just don't qualify ever in their lives (unless they find a loved one.).
There's the J1 visa though while you're still in college, you can work for up to a year I think on that one.

Reply 208

curryADD

EducatingBrogan

Yes, I tend to get random ideas in my head and they tend to expand. Er... anyway. Thinking about where I'd live, if money was no object, or more realistically if I pass this degree and get a well-paid job. And I've come up with California. I don't quite know why. I think it's a naive assumption of sunshine and a lot of things going on in a busy area where all the houses look incredible.
And yeah, I'm the type of idiot who gets brainwashed by these glamourised portrayals of the USA in magazines and on TV shows. But I also have enough common sense, I hope, to know what's just idealised rubbish and what is true.

All I'm asking here is, realisitically speaking, would you consider life in the States to be better or worse than here, from every perspective; social, economical, political, career-wise, weather-wise :p:

everything, really.

And I know this is a daft thread and I'm just waiting for the sarcastic one-liners to flow in thick and fast. But it's half past one in the morning so I'll hope you forgive me if I'm not making much coherent sense.

What are your thoughts? Am I being childish to assume that the grass is greener on the other side of the pond?

Thanks in advance to those who reply decently.

well........california IS stellar, and absolutely gorgeous pretty well everywhere. San Francisco and LA are just as cool as they are on TV, San Diego is just as chill.......

and well. yeah.

the mexican food is awesome, which automatically makes the grass greener. :p:

edit: that means the **** you guys eat in the UK and call mexican, or texican, or calixican is something most americans wouldn't dare touch with a ten foot pole.

Reply 209

Meus

I'm planning to move to South Cali soon after graduation

Reply 210

Delta Usafa

EducatingBrogan

How difficult is it to get a resident's permit for America?

I don't know myself, but everyone else keeps saying it's hard. I have a friend, who was also my 10th grade history teacher, who is from the UK and he's lived her for 20 years on a green card. He just got citizenship a few years ago, and it was definitely a bit of a challenge for him to get that, but I'm not sure what kind of experience it was for him to be allowed to live here in the first place.

I think the easiest option for you is to study abroad through your university, meet some rich guy, and then marry him. Then you're allowed to stick around. That's my plan to get to live in England! (Except I'd be marrying a female of course :P)

Reply 211

Cyclone33

I know people that recently got their green card after residing in the US for 5+ years

Which state lol?

California

Good lawyers make a lot of things easier, but it's very difficult to get a normal green card in the US as a citizen of a first world country. I believe the easiest way to get one (short of marriage) is to go to university in the US, get a job immediately afterward (a high-paying one), and try to get your employer to sponsor you for a work visa. Once you live in the US a certain amount of years with that visa, it becomes easier to apply for permanent residentship. Alternately, you can claim the Queen is out to get you and only the US can protect you. :ninja:

Reply 215

AlysonJ220

Well I've lived in California my entire life (grew up in NorCal near San Francisco, but have lived in San Diego for the past 3.5 years while I attend University), so here is what I can add from my experience:

-If it's the weather you are most interested in, definitely go for SoCal. NorCal can get freezing cold in the winter (depending on where you are) and blazing hot in the summer (one summer it was 120 F for over a week). Coastal SoCal, particularly here in San Diego, is far more temperate and moderate.

-If you are worried about stupid Americans (a valid concern...) I would stick with NorCal. Not that all SoCal people are stupid, of course, but NorCal has a better reputation in that area and I for one think that stereotype is pretty damn accurate.

-San Diego is gorgeous along the coast (especially La Jolla). San Francisco is gorgeous in certain areas. But, as you yourself pointed out, that is not what every neighborhood looks like. You will most likely not be able to afford anywhere very scenic for quite a while, so just keep that in mind.

-Keep in mind that there really is not that much going on here. Ever. Which is the main reason I want to get out of this country. We are so isolated from the rest of the world, both socially and geographically, and no one outside of perhaps academic circles has any idea about what is going on in the rest of the world. It's a VERY different focus than in the UK, so keep that in mind as well if that is one of your reasons for wanting to come here.

All in all, I will second the suggestion that many people have made that you try a temp placement for like a year or two, see how you like it, then decide. In the meantime, feel free to PM me if you have anymore specific questions :biggrin:

EDIT: As someone else mentioned above, our Mexican food rocks. 24/7. San Diego is obviously better on that front, seeing that we are about 20 minutes from the border, but SF has their options as well.

Oh, and one more thing. San Diego is totally a college town. There are 3 huge Unis here, plus a few other small ones. The beach towns are chalk full of apartments intended for student renters. San Fran, on the other hand, has a much more professional feel. LA is somewhere in between the two.

Reply 216

Cyclone33

If you go to Southern California, don't end up in Compton. BAD IDEA

Reply 217

Delta Usafa

Hey look, three San Diegans in this thread! :biggrin:

AlysonJ220

-If you are worried about stupid Americans (a valid concern...) I would stick with NorCal. Not that all SoCal people are stupid, of course, but NorCal has a better reputation in that area and I for one think that stereotype is pretty damn accurate.
You serious?? I'm from San Diego and I've been going to school in Chico (Nor Cal) and I'd have to say a good half of the people from the Bay Area are absolute dimwits. They don't have the same stereotypes as Southern Californians for stupidity, but that's only because hardly anybody pays attention to the actual lifestyles of Northern California. Up here you just have a ton of bros, hard drug addicts, crazies who want to "secede" from California, white guys who think they're black, and just a general air of douchebaggery about. And the clothing styles are ridiculous, if I may add.

Not true about everyone of course, some of my best friends are from around here, but it's really overwhelming. Nor Cal is by no means any better than So Cal as far as intelligence goes.

Oh, and don't forget, Nor Cal has Oakland. O.O

Cyclone33

If you go to Southern California, don't end up in Compton. BAD IDEA

Or Bakersfield! Or Riverside. Or Pomona. Or most areas in Los Angeles. :P

(What's wrong with Compton, btw?)

Reply 218

Valkyrja

In the UK to be successful in most commercial industry (particularly the media sector which I want to work in) you have to live in London at least for some extended period of your career.

London, like the rest of Southern England - although having its perks is quite unfriendly, harsh, bad-mannered and a place where the class system is alive and well. I am from Wales, and I find the way in which southern english people behave on a day to day basis quite frustrating. I guess you could work in Manchester and hang out with lovely northern types but at the end of the day the point im trying to make is that if you want to be successful in britain generally you have to live in a tiny place, in a city full of dickheads and accept your miserable fate of bottom sucking.

In the US there seems to be a sort of optimism, even on the north east coast it's way friendlier than the UK. People talk to you in the street, there is a sense of community - people are brought up to genuinely care about others. Plus you have a choice of cities, you could do equally well in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Fran, Miami, Texas, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle.... any of the major cities you could make a really good life for yourself and not have to put up with the grumpy direness of the UK.

On the cons side of things though the no free healthcare makes me really sad and it is really bloody difficult to get a visa.