Hey UK Board.....

So I am just wondering if anyone here pondered going the other way, as in moving to the UK to be with your spouse/fiance and what made you decide to have them move to the US? My fiance and I debated at length over this and I still have days where I am so frustrated with the US process I am tempted to go the other way. Does anyone know anything about what the process is like to immigrate there vs here? what were your reasons for doing it the US side? Just thought I would put this out there on a day where I am loathing the waiting and in agony from being apart from my love.

Thanks to all responses

Actually, we were talking about us living in Croatia, but the only job he could get here without nowing language really good is as an English teacher, maybe. I could get a great job but me supporting us wouldn't work for a longer period of time and I'm sure any man could confirm that But if official language in Croatia would be English right away!

Getting a visa for a US spouse to live in the UK takes about 7 days, including time in the post. That is how quick my wife got hers some years ago but it doesn't seem to have changed.

Why go to the US, well how about a much better standard of living, better opportunities, a better life than you can have in the UK.

We looked at it both ways and even though I have been a project manager here for years, if I moved to the UK I would make a quarter of what I do here.

Plus the weather in Sunny So Cal is better that the west coast of Scotland.

Don't get me wrong I love it in Scotland, I look forward to going back through the years, but as mentioned already the quality of life is much better here.

Oh, and my MIL says the traffic laws make better sense here. We brought here a Drivers handbook from DMV and she was amazed.

We will definitely spend part of our time in the RP once I retire

We had considered both scenarios. What it boiled down to for us was how supportive his family are of our relationship. They are fortunate, in that they have seen us together over two visits and can see for themselves how good we are together, but they are also just wonderful people who listened to their son when he told them about me and believed in his judgement. My family are a different kettle of fish, always wary of anything unknown. They will see for themselves this christmas!

Another consideration is the standard of living. We would have a hard time coping financially in the UK, we don't have a foot on the property ladder and it seems impossible to get on unless you're willing to mortgage yourself to a dangerous level.

Whilst I love the UK, California, well, it's just beautiful

We *did* move to the UK after getting the K-1. I love the UK and living where we do; I just miss my family - that's the draw back towards the US for us.

I've done it -- spent 12 years in the UK with Indefinite Leave to Remain, foot on the property ladder, job in the City, the whole kit and caboodle. One day, we just couldn't take the drudgery, cost of living, pollution, weather, you name it, anymore and decided we needed to go home. Whilst I will never regret the years I spent in the UK, life here is just so much more...right for us. We're moving to California next year (we're actually out in LA visiting at the moment) and this life just fits right, like a well-tailored suit.

Moving to the UK just to be with your honey faster is not a solution -- we all get frustrated with how long this process takes. Look within yourselves and consider where you want to be in five years time. If that place is the US, you'll have to do the immigration process at some point anyway. If however you want the experience of living in the UK (which despite all my grumbling is really a wonderful place!), go for it. You may want to make it your home permanently, who knows? But it is another big wodge of money for the visa to go there, and if your ultimate goal is the US you'll have to pay for that visa as well.

Good luck -- here's to a speedy reunion, whether in the US or UK!

Actually, we did come the other way, moved to the UK after we got married just over two years ago. I've been living here in Scotland since Oct 2005 on a two year visa. If we decided to stay I would need to get my permanent resident thing this month as my visa is soon to expire. Honestly, the process of coming here to the UK is much easier and faster. We did it just two years ago and it took us about 60 days from start to finish. I'm sure it can go faster as well as I think they have expedited scenarios/options.

I love Scotland. I think it's absolutely gorgeous and there are so many wonderful people here. The reason we chose to go stateside, where my family is from, is because the area we are moving to has such low living costs its unbelievable. We are going to be able to get a 3 bedroom detached house for the same price we were paying on a 1 bedroom flat in Glasgow. Aside from that, we both have career opportunities there that will provide for a better standard of living.

I think you need to decide what's most important to you and make your decision based on that, not the process. Believe me, I'm very frustrated with this US immigration process. They make it so difficult for people trying to immigrate legally! We've been working on it for 8 months and still not done. But you need to think long term and make your decision based on that.

Hang in there pal!

We decided to move to the UK initially, as we wanted to be together quicker, and financially it made more sense - I had a job with my Dad's company I could keep for a year or so (while the CR1 Visa went through), whereas if we'd done the K1, then I would have had to wait for EAD, AOS etc etc, which would have been hard as I graduated college in '06 when we started the process and so had a ton of debt and no savings! Now, I have slightly less debt, and a wee bit of savings The important thing for us was that I was able to work as soon as I entered the US, so I could get my career rolling with either the military or local Law Enforcement. Although we don't have a massive amount of savings, we have enough to see us through for a few months while we get jobs back in the US, and the £-$ conversion rate has worked out well.

On the other hand...if moving to the UK meant that we had to rent our own apartment etc, it would have been a lot more difficult - we've lived with my parents rent free for the past year or so, which has really helped financially, and also it has given us more time to weigh up career options and our future plans for back in the US. It was the more expensive option, as we had to pay for two sets of Visa fees (the UK Fiancee one was about £240 I Think, and the spousal one £500...though that may have changed), but at the end of the day we got to spend a lot more time together and as we'd only been able to spend a total of 12 weeks together in person before the marriage, that really helped.

We definately wanted to move to the US in the long term, but we wanted to make a good go of it when we got there, so for our situation doing the UK immigration, and then the US one on a CR1 made more sense.

I lived with my hubby in Scotland before we ever got married. I love Scotland, and I miss it loads at times but the fact of the matter is, it's so much cheaper here to live, work, own a car, own a home. In Scotland we had a two bedroom semi-detached that we rented, no car, nothing great to speak of, here we own (fully paid - it was inherited) a 4 bedroom home, with a garage, a car, and just loads of stuff we could never afford in the UK and in a few months I'm confident we can afford to get a second vehicle for my hubby once he passes his drivers test. We just seem to be able to have a better standard of life here, give our children a better life, but we also want to give them the opportunity to have the option to go to the UK when they are older to travel, for school, etc. We don't want to limit their opportunities because of our choices. Plus I am very close with my family, and my hubby is not so close with his.

My hubby talks about moving back to Scotland when our kids move out and have their own lives and living up north, which of course sounds romantic and wonderful, but time will tell. I don't really care where we are in the world as long as we're all happy, healthy, and together.

As others have said, the standard and the cost of living is just so much better in the US. Also, I am another person who is not on the property ladder in the UK and I know that Josh and I would probably never be able to afford a house here.

The pace of life is better. I feel rushed all the time here but everything seems much slower in Iowa. No one seems to be in a great rush to get anywhere and it's like stepping into the past, where people don't have to lock doors when they leave the house. A far cry from the crime that we see all over the UK.


When you weigh up what the future looks like in each location, waiting those extra few months is definitely worth it But who knows what the future holds... we might return to the UK in the future

I'm one of those who will be moving to the U.K. My boyfriend has the better job than my phone job and I've been to Wales four times and even stayed once for a month. I'll only miss my family and pets.

I'm actually moving to the UK first, gain citizenship then we will move back to the US. Works out better for us in a number of ways.

1. Together sooner
2. He has a much better job than me, I could not afford to support him while we wait for his EAD, he says I pretty much have a job waiting where he works.
3. Something I've always wanted to do anyway, live abroad.
4. After 2 years we are eligible for DCF. He comes over on a green card and is able to work.

You just need to make a list of pros and cons and talk about it, see which way would be better for you as a couple.

Good Luck!

I found it interesting reading everyones comments. I love living here in California, its beautiful but for us we don't feel we have a great quality of life, we both are recent college grads so we don't own a home, houses are so expensive here, I hate the whole health insurance thing and I hate the fact that we get barely any vacation time. We are planning to move back to England next year as we think we stand a better chance getting on the property ladder and we want to have enough time to spend with our son and take holidays etc. Here I'm currently working 50 hrs per week, I used to work 37 in the UK. I know eventually we'll move back but right now we need the help of my family etc.

California is one of the states where the median value of a home is HIGH - I'm not surprised you are having trouble finding a house there. I'm not sure the UK will be any better (may in fact be worse).

Have you thought of moving to another state - possibly one where the property/land values aren't so sky high?

That really does seem a more practical solution. House prices in the UK are still going up. We sold our 2 bed end terrace 18 months ago for £200000 and thought we had got a good price. An identical house to house just down the road from where we lived went last month for £235000, that is a stupid increase.

As a general rule I think US house prices are a lot less then the UK, with some exceptions of course.

If I remember correctly, Sammy (beautiful baby by the way!) is from up north somewhere (Manchester?) which probably would compare favorably to CA.

Even if it could work out favourably with house prices, I still see that as a hard move, at least until you get on your feet.

The main thing for me, is what the move would do to any savings you have... Almost doubling them when you enter the US, halving them when you enter the UK. It makes getting a foothold back in the UK that much harder. Plus, with the recent Northern Rock bank fiasco, I wonder if banks will be as willing to loan people such high wage-to-mortgage ratios.

For me, house prices are greatly in our favour when comparing where I live (south of England) to where Josh lives in Iowa:

The very large (compared to what I am used to) 3 bedroom house owned by hubby's parents has a $160,000 price tag.
A 3 bedroom home (of half the size) here in Berkshire with a £250-280,000 price tag.
For a reasonably-sized house (somewhere between the 2 stated above, still 3 bedroom) we are looking at around $90-100,000. Heck, if I bring that down to a UK house-size, it could be as low as $65-75,000. Of course, Josh wouldn't dream of living in something as cramped as a UK house, hehe

With the US market apparently on the decline and the UK market continuing to grow, the difference in value will just continue to grow.

SE England to Iowa is very favorable - California to England (even in the Southeast) is not so much. The median price of a house in London is about the same as SoCal, without the need to take out earthquake insurance.

Thanks Robinklake! U are right, I'm from lancashire so there compared to Cali is way cheaper. We are in Fresno which is classed as the armpit of Cali and the average 3 bedroom house is $300,000. The main thing for us though is that we have no support system here so in order for us both to work that means Hayden in full time day care....which is expensive making it hard to save for a house (and also someone else taking care of him)... In England we can live with my folks, save for a small house and get on our feet better. I love Cali though - but think we can sell our English house then double our money pretty much and buy one back here eventually!!!

I've certainly pondered moving to the UK. My trips there to visit my fiancée have been wonderful. I love the country, the culture, the interesting places to go and see and things to do, as well as the general sense of sanity about the place. What dissuades me is the cost of living. Prices are sky high on everything from food to housing. The health care and retirement benefits are excellent, so perhaps we'll retire there some day. Then again, if by some (new) act of insanity the US presidency goes to another Republican next year, we might choose to exercise that option a bit sooner.

That's an interest comment.

Part of the reason we can to the US was because my wife's retirement package was better than mine and we wanted to exchange rate to work in our favor.

I had a very good government pension but my wife's US pension was 25% more than mine for 50% less years worked in the scheme.