'The Move'

[Ellesse 11]

Thanks!! Someone else on here had posted about opening a Post Office account, so would you suggest that's one of the best options as far as transferring money goes?

The Post Office advertises that it doesn't charge you a fee, and a lot of other companies do for transferring money overseas. Plus, you can open an account, review the exchange rate, and then decide when to transfer the money over, which I think is quite good, so you get the most out of the money you have. I've done one transfer so far, and it was in my American account the same day. Beware, though, that receiving banks sometimes charge you for the pleasure of you obtaining your own money internationally! My American account charged me $15 for receiving the international wire.

L

[wee carrington 33]

The Post Office advertises that it doesn't charge you a fee, and a lot of other companies do for transferring money overseas. Plus, you can open an account, review the exchange rate, and then decide when to transfer the money over, which I think is quite good, so you get the most out of the money you have. I've done one transfer so far, and it was in my American account the same day. Beware, though, that receiving banks sometimes charge you for the pleasure of you obtaining your own money internationally! My American account charged me $15 for receiving the international wire.

L

Thanks for the warning! They get your with the fees anyway they can, don't they?

[scotinmass 588]

I sold my house and 2 cars and gave away everything else so I didn't have anything to ship over. I arrived with 3 suitcases and that was it. I did have a lot of money in my UK bank account which was still at my old address which was slightly risky. When I moved here nearly 2 years ago the pound was very low against the dollar so I took the chance of leaving the money there until it improved. When it did rise to a level I was happy with I moved it over using XE.com. It is very easy to do. I did it online and they don't charge a fee. I was not charged a fee from either my UK or US bank either. The exchange rate they give is much better than the post office or paypal. I also just closed my paypal account cos someone tried to steal $150 from it via my US bank account and paypal only returned the money when my bank got involved so I wouldn't trust them with large sums of money.

I have not got round to officially leaving the UK yet! I never filled out any forms for the Inland Revenue or returned my NHS card or anything else. I'll probably get round to it eventually but there's no rush.

Life here for me has been good. I got a job within a month of moving here. The company closed down after 3 months but I got another one literally the next day and have been working there ever since. I passed my driving test (unbelievably easy in Massachusetts!) and bought a car. I have been enjoying the food here a bit too much and have put on 30lbs. I love Scotland with a passion and always said I could never live anywhere else but now that I do I don't really miss it at all. There are a few things that I can't get here like real bacon and a mince pie supper but there are so many other things that make up for it. Life in New England is very similar to the UK so it probably much easier than if I had moved to Texas or North Dakota.

We have just sent in the I-751 form to get the 10 year visa. They give a 1 year extension while it is being processed. I will probably apply for citizenship after that. I might neglect to return my UK passport tho!

I've read on here a lot of people from the UK who regret moving and wish they could go back home but I think it's the best move I've ever made and have no plans to ever move back.

Mrs GH I see your point of entry is Boston. I came in there and it took about 5 mins. I gave them 2 finger prints and 2 signatures and that was pretty much it. I got my green card in the mail less than 3 weeks later. Will you be living in Boston? We are just north of there.

David.

[Ellesse 11]

I used anglopacific (www.anglopacific.co.uk) for my move - I had spoken to a number of companies (including Seven Seas and John Mason), but they offered a reasonable deal and were really helpful (or have been so far!)

So, I obviously spoke to soon as I've been having difficulty getting the US company to return my calls or send me any kind of accurate. update. Not so helpful now!

[jingo 38]

I used SevenSeas for shipping all my things (well, my mum sorted it out for me after I'd left). The cost was reasonable and they sort out all the customs forms and don't charge a penny at point of delivery. There are a lot of forms to read and sign first though. My stuff arrived in under a week and I was able to track it the whole way.

I transferred my money directly from my HSBC account to my new US account which I opened on my first day here. Was charged at both ends, but it seemed like the quickest and most reliable way to do it. I hear the Post Office is great for international transfers but its minimum £250. Keep your UK bank account open just in case!

I cancelled my phone contract with O2 a couple days before leaving. It was super easy. They let me pick my last day of service with them without charging me extra and sent me a new sim card with my same number for any time I return to the UK.

I'd say be prepared for a bit of culture shock and leave time to adapt. I lived in san jose for a year before moving back here for good and its still been very difficult for me. Its a long process and requires a lot of patience.

Eat all your favourite English food and enjoy the British TV, its hard to get here. Do a lot of research on US bank accounts/ phone contracts/ state laws about stuff like driving and so on. Have a good plan for the first few weeks here.

Hope some or any of this is useful!

[wee carrington 33]

So, I obviously spoke to soon as I've been having difficulty getting the US company to return my calls or send me any kind of accurate. update. Not so helpful now!

Oh no! We decided to go with "Allfreight" so we'll see how that goes (fingers crossed it goes well).

[Ellesse 11]

Oh no! We decided to go with "Allfreight" so we'll see how that goes (fingers crossed it goes well).

My stuaff has finally arrive, which is a relief, let me tell you. Hope all goes well with Allfreight and good luck with the move!

L

[Jessa & Liam 11]

I cancelled my phone contract with O2 a couple days before leaving. It was super easy. They let me pick my last day of service with them without charging me extra and sent me a new sim card with my same number for any time I return to the UK

If you don't mind me asking what were 02 like to deal with when you rang them up to cancel your contract and what way did you describe your situation?

[wee carrington 33]

If you don't mind me asking what were 02 like to deal with when you rang them up to cancel your contract and what way did you describe your situation?

I just called up O2 last week to cancel my plan. I just told them that I was moving back to the United States and they seemed pretty cool about it, a nice Yorkshire guy talked to me for awhile about Florida ect.

I think it goes smoothly once they learn you're moving out of the country, so you're not just going with another provider.

[Jessa & Liam 11]

I just called up O2 last week to cancel my plan. I just told them that I was moving back to the United States and they seemed pretty cool about it, a nice Yorkshire guy talked to me for awhile about Florida ect.

I think it goes smoothly once they learn you're moving out of the country, so you're not just going with another provider.

Thank you I spoke with them 3 weeks after I took out the contract initially to cancel it. I had just renewed it before going out to see Jess and their store staff told me not to phone the UK when I was abroad so I couldn't cancel until I got to the UK. When I did phone up I was given the run around and told that I could cancel it....as long as I paid the full amount.

Fingers crossed it goes better when I have to cancel it properly