Owen_London

Actually it's not as bad as you think. For 2016 he will file single or head of household is he has a dependent. For 2017, you will file Married filing jointly or Married filing separately. He will report any income he receives on the rental minus expenses just like he would if the apartment was in the United States. There might be someone that will give you a more detailed answer but I don't think you have to worry too much about this.

Renting property out is not that simple. There are things that can be expensed against taxes, including depreciation, and the rules about doing so can be complex. My understanding is that renting out property outside the US represents a significant reporting burden. There are many who do it, but equally there are many who are sure that the reporting and organising maintenance from thousands of miles away is simply too much hassle.

There is also the issue of capital gains tax. The rules on capital gains (as would apply to a property) change, depending on whether you've lived in the property as your main home recently or not. It's not something I've ever had to worry about, but he needs to investigate this too before deciding to rent out.

Personally, if I owned a single property in the UK, and I was moving to the US permanently, and not on a temporary working visa, I would sell it.

I was just dropping by and saw this thread.

All advice I have seen recently is in line with Simon's recent experience. While HSBC offer to transfer accounts and credit, it simply doesn't work very well. When you consider how easy it is to open a US bank account that isn't interest-bearing with most of the major banks or most local credit unions, it doesn't make sense to go through the rigmarole of trying to sort anything out in the UK.

I just had a quick look at the USCIS website, it says L2 visas are available to "family members", without specifying precisely what this entails.

A quick google for "L2 visa stepchildren" comes up with several different answers. Most seem to be positive, as I'd expect, but one, which I don't believe, seemed to think that your stepfather would have to formally adopt you for the visa to apply to you. I doubt this is the case, but I don't have any personal experience.

I think your stepdad needs to talk to the company lawyer.

That said, there may be another hurdle to overcome. Your haven't mentioned the current status of your birth father. Your parents (mother and stepfather) may need permission from him to take you and your sisters out of the country and come to the US. This is subject to the laws of your current country of residence.

Good luck.

Oh, I was mistaken there - Thanks!

OK, no problem.

So that if he was looking to transfer to a UK uni after say a year or 2 of US college he could get an idea of where he can get his course converted..

Anyway, It may or may not be useful but I was trying to be helpful, no harm in that.

The big problem with that idea is that naces.org only do conversions to US qualifications, they don't do the opposite, and there's no reason to think they could give good advice on what to do abroad.

A quick search suggests that the UK equivalent is: https://www.naric.org.uk/but I have no idea how often such services are used there. I suspect his best bet, at least initially, would be to contact the admissions service of the university he would like to attend and ask for their advice.

Send your transcripts to one of the evaluators listed on www.naces.org, you will have to pay for quite a lot for their services but like I said they will be able to 1. Convert your credits, and 2. look at your current or completed course credits and make recommendations in light of your prospective course...

Why do you think that would be useful? He hasn't started college yet, plus he's a US student looking to study abroad, not a foreign student looking to study in the US.

Thank you,Gw68ad78 and Tigerlilz. It's a relief to know that it's possible to transfer.

I would be wary of assuming that you can easily transfer from a US college to a university in the UK. In general, both the US high school system and the US college system have a wider but shallower knowledge base than their UK equivalent. This is much of the reason why US undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are usually longer than their UK equivalents. These differences mean that UK students transferring to the US have to catch up with the more low-level courses outside their major, but can still get credits for what they've learned so far, but US students transferring to the UK find that they get no credit for courses outside their major, and may have to drop back a year. Bear in mind that unless you have enough AP courses from high school, you might still have the same issue with your high school education not being advanced enough compared to a UK student's limited number of A levels to get you into the UK university you'd want, even if you wait to start university in the UK.

Bear in mind that I am making generalisations, and don't have personal experience. Things may be easier than I suggest, and others may know better, though probably a website for people moving to the USA isn't going to provide much useful help. Maybe try to ask at the UK Yankee forum?

Also, to help you with terminology, just in case you need it.

US college = UK university (college in UK means several things, but most likely sixth-form college, which is schooling from 16 to 18 in some areas)

US College major doesn't really have a UK equivalent term, because the systems are different. Maybe just "subject".

US High school = UK secondary school (though this is often 11 to 18 or 11 to 16 or other ages). High school is used as a term in some areas.

I wasn't going to open this thread, as you didn't mention the state, and I assumed "DMV" meant it wasn't in Texas.

Where do you live in Houston, and which DL office do you use? I have been to the Spring Megacenter, Grant Road (twice) and Hempstead. Spring is big, and you can queue online (but still with some wait after you arrive). Grant Road is OK if you arrive at a quiet time, say 3-30 - this is where I did my test. Hempstead is a metal shack. I was recommended to go there to avoid waiting for hours in Houston, but they were overwhelmed by kids getting their learner's permits. I decided not to queue outside in hundred degree heat.

Good luck for the test.

The Blue Bell attachment is because it started at the little creamery right here in Texas and the Homemade Vanilla tasted so much like real actual homemade ice cream we made in the back yard with the old hand crank ice cream freezer. So much better than any Ice cream on the market at the time. So it became OUR ice cream. To my grown daughters, it has been at every birthday party, required if you baked an apple pie, and was always a treat offered at the grand parents house.

We got a little nostalgic yesterday. Leaving the HEB my daughter said "I got a pint of Cookies and Cream because that was my childhood favorite. I always got that when Dad took me to Bucees to get ice cream."

Me: "I didn't know you and Dad did that."

Her: "Oh yeah, all the time". (Her wonderful Dad is now deceased.)

Later she sent me a text saying "I wish Granddad was still here so we could have a Blue Bell and Coke frosty together one more time.

It represented tradition and emotion and was taken away. Now we celebrate the return of a very old friend.

Sure, I understand that viewpoint.

What I struggle to understand is why, for so many people, that is not affected at all by the listeria outbreak, including three deaths, with listeria found at all three Blue Bell sites. I could understand "Their ice cream had listeria, but I trust they have improved hygiene now" or " Their ice cream had listeria, but the risk to me is too small to worry about", but for most, the "but" isn't there. Why has this not created a fear of food poisoning, or a problem of trust?

I have to admit that I don't understand the unwavering attachment to Blue Bell. Their ice cream killed three people. Why would you want to buy more of it as soon as it reappears? It is good, but it's not that good.

In my view, the optimal style for a UK curriculum vitae has been similar to a US resume for decades, but it's taken a long time for the older, more wordy, styles to be replaced. My US resume is very similar in style to the UK CV that I used last time I changed company in 2002. If anything, the current version is less sparsely laid out since I let a recruiter make changes to it, a month ago.

Huh I had no idea about the SSN thing...

Anyone have any good ideas on how to say "I can work here legally I promise" on a Resume? I'm having a hard time trying to word it...

"Authorized to work in the USA" or "USA work authorization"?

I'm waiting to adjust to a GC holder, after marrying my husband on a K-1 visa in May 2015. I have some shares in a British company that I'd like to sell here, but I'm not sure I can without my EAD. Does anyone know whether this would be advisable/possible?

What can I tell you?

Yes, you can sell them. The EAD is required for you to work in the US. No permission is required to receive passive income.

It will, however, be taxable by the IRS (US tax authorities). Capital gains after more than a year are taxed at long-term capital gains rates. Short-terms capital gains are subject to income tax rates, possibly with the passive investment tax on top. Depending on this, and on you and your husband's incomes, it is likely to be better to sell before the end of this calendar year (which is the same as the tax year in the US), since your incomes will likely be higher next year.

I will defer to you Owen because you understand these things better than me. It was a Social Security employee who explained WEP to me in this way, so I believed her when she told my husband his Social Security retirement benefit may be reduced by a percentage if he is eligible for full UK state pension. But we know SSA employees tell K1s all kinds of crazy stories about their eligibility for a Social Security card, so she could be telling a crazy story also.

OK, thanks. I'm a long way from retirement still, so I only really know the basics.

Yes, WEP will reduce US SS by a percentage of the extra non-SS income. However, it sounded like you thought that WEP would reduce SS by the full amount of the non-SS income, but I guess I mis-read that. The impact of WEP is also reduced if you have 20 years or more of SS contributions, with minimum effect from 30 years or more.

I just checked in and noticed this thread, and thought I ought to comment on a few things. I have read more details elsewhere, but will only comment with things I remember properly.

They are changing the state pension plan. I believe you can get something with at least 10 years contributions. New people to NI after next April will need 35 years for full pension. You may need only 30 since you started with old plan.

You can make voluntary contributions while abroad to increase your year count. Keep in mind that you won't be able to collect full state pension and full US Social Security. No double dipping. If you have higher earning years ahead of you in the US, you may want your full SS benefits which are based on wages and contributions. UK state pension is mostly a fixed amount and all receive same amount at full eligibility. So if your Social Security benefit was $2000 a month, and you were going to collect $400 UK state pension, your SS would only allow $1600. You will still be paying in to SS at the full rate for every dollar you earn. So you would need to consider the benefit of also paying voluntary NI contributions to get money that would reduce your Social Security. If you aren't going to work full-time or have a high paying US job pushing your SS retirement up, your UK state pension payment could be the better deal.

Not sure what you're commenting on here. Is this the US/UK totalization agreement? If so, that only applies if you don't have enough contributions in either place to qualify for any state pension. If this is about the WEP provisions, I don't think that's the way it works.

I recently discussed this with a Financial Adviser (FA) as I had the same question. I'm not an expert at all so I could be wrong in places but I'll share my thinking process as that may be more useful since everyone's financial circumstances are different.

You would be paying class 3 contributions of £14.10 per week, as of this year, which can be done through direct debit. Pension age for us is probably going to be around 67 so if we worked out your total, assuming you paid UK state until retirement of 67, you would need to pay at least £24,195. Though it will be a lot more as NI increases each year and rules change. As you have contributed more than ten years you will get the minimum state pension (if they don't change the rules in the next 30-40yrs). I'm similar to you, working since 16 and now 31.

If your record has gaps then it's possible to fill gaps in the last six years, if desired (useful if you come back to the UK). This link gives information on how much to expect from the New State Pension scheme which is highly likely to change again before we get to retirement.

So I would turn your question around and be asking - Am I better contributing this ~24k to a US personal pension (separate SIPP or on top of your voluntary company contribution) that I am in control of or giving it to the UK government scheme where I have no control (and subject to exchange rates too)?

As Nich-Nick points out you also have US/UK rules and tax consideration when you do pull your pension from the UK. It of course depends on whether you see yourself back in the UK in the next ten years (but then you could do a 6yr catch up if you are back in a short time).

The conclusion that I'm coming to is I'm not sure there is a right answer at this time, you'll find that out when you retire! But my thinking is I've met the 10yr min, I don't have intentions of coming back for the foreseeable future, I prefer influencing my investments to work their hardest for every pound/dollar I put in, and I like having a tiny bit of control of where my money goes.

As an aside to NI I would also recommend a FA before you leave the UK (they need 4-6 weeks too if you ask them to change/manage things for you), especially if you have UK personal pensions and (ex) company schemes. It's much easier to start a relationship with an FA sitting in front of him/her so you can feel good about them managing things if that's how things end up.

What they should do first is a free initial consultation and work out where you finances stand and your appreciation of risk. They would then compare each of your pension accounts to what is on the market and calculate your options in whether your pensions stay as is (ex-company schemes can be very cheap), consolidate, or move. It's roughly £250 per pension account to be "analysed". After which you can decide what to do based on the choices the FA gives you, e.g. stay as you are but with knowledge your pension is doing OK (get analysed in another couple of yrs) or get the FA to consolidate and manage it - ~3% commission, worth it if they make you pension increase an exponential proportion more.

I haven't decided yet on what to do but I got an FA so I at least feel more comfortable that I've done everything I can for the money/investments I leave in the UK.

You may be able to make Class 2 contributions. These are substantially cheaper than Class 3. If you aren't working, you can only make Class 3. In details, the rules are:

Living and working abroad Class 2 - but only if you worked in the UK immediately before leaving, and you’ve previously lived in the UK for 3 years in a row or paid 3 years’ National Insurance

Living abroad but not working Class 3 - but only if at some point you’ve lived in the UK continuously for 3 years or paid 3 years of contributions

https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/who-can-pay-voluntary-contributions

As I understand it, the general view is that paying voluntary Class 2 NI is a bargain, and voluntary Class 3 may still work out as worthwhile. However, as Boiler points out, you are still very much at the whim of the politicians for many years.

My Husband has been issued a drivers license, but it expires on the date that his I-94 expires. If I am reading this right, it seems like it is possible to use the I-797(NOA1) for I-485 to renew it. http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/aila/acceptabledocuments.pdf (page 2 & 17)

I was just wondering if anyone in Texas has had success using their I-797 in obtaining or renewing a drivers license. Thanks

If you live in Texas, why are you linking to a document from Florida?

This document states, like Florida, that to verify lawful presence, as an applicant for AOS, you need: "Immigration documentation with an alien number or I-94 number This can include but is not limited to a form I-797 indicating pending I-485 or pending application for adjustment of status."

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/documents/verifyingLawfulPresence.pdf

I do not know how long the license will be valid for, however.

So, Illiria's reply is correct, in that you can't get married twice, but confused in that UK register offices certainly offer the ceremony you are after. It's called a "Renewal of Vows" ceremony.

We had a US wedding in November 2012 with just close family, followed by a party at home for US friends the day after. The following July, we had a big "second wedding", for UK friends and family. Technically, though, it's not a second wedding. If done by a church, it would be a blessing. We aren't religious, though, so we had the event at a country house hotel, and we had someone come from the local Register Office to officiate at the ceremony. It can also be done at the Register Office itself, just like courthouse weddings in the US. However, this is not a legally binding ceremony, so you could instead hire a venue, have a friend make up a ceremony, and call it whatever you like.

EDIT: Decide which council area you want to have the ceremony in, and google "council name" then "renewal of vows". Here is Surrey, for example:

http://new.surreycc.gov.uk/people-and-community/birth-death-marriage-and-civil-partnerships/marriage/other-types-of-ceremonies/renewal-of-vows

I don't quite even understand their 30 day residency thing, but yes I think the affidavit signed by you husband is supposed to cover the proof of residency.

Visitors can drive in TX for a year, I believe. When anybody moves to Texas, they are required to switch to a TX license within 90 days. So yes, you have 90 days to drive on whatever license you hold.

It's worth pointing out that you will want to have passed the test by the time that 90 days are up, and while it is very simple for most Europeans, the driving test is usually scheduled several weeks in advance.

Yes it is different then a CG on property, but it is like a CG on the sale of stock. You purchase a stock for $100K after 8 years sell it for $125K, so the CG is $25K. Now let's say you as a UK citizen purchase a stock for $!00K and then at some point later become a LPR subject to US tax laws. What is the basis--the value you use to calculate the GC on--if when you became a LPR the stock is now worth $150K? Is the basis the original $100K or is it $150K because you "purchased" the stock as a LPR at $150K? To be safe and avoid any trouble from the IRS you claim $100K. I think it should be $150K because the gain from $100K to $150K was subject to UK tax laws and once you became a LPR of the US you can recharacterize the stock as of the date you become a LPR. This is what happens to inheritances as their basis is to the value on the date of death of the owner unless it is a weekend then it is the average of the price on the Friday before the death and the Monday after the death.

So I would move your basis to the date you became a LPR and pay any CP on the value from tehat date to when you repaid the load.

Dave

That's the first time I've heard anyone suggest that.

I'd be interested to see if you have any evidence that doing as you suggest is acceptable to the IRS.

A friend of mine filed 1040 last year and irs are asking again for back pay, penalties, which

all his salary was withheld every pay day and i heard that his income from his country will be taxed too here usa

wow incredible. i thought it's from other country's are corrupt but same ..

I suspect this is not the whole story, and the problem may be that whoever did his tax return did it wrong, treating foreign income as US income or something like that.

If he had income from his country that wasn't taxed there and then subject to a dual tax treaty, and was paid after he became tax resident in the US, then he would definitely need to pay taxes on that income. If he didn't, of course the IRS would come after him.

If the foreign income was paid before he became tax resident in the US, he should complete a dual status return that only includes his income after becoming tax resident. If the income was paid after he became tax resident in the US, but it was taxed by the foreign country, and there is a dual tax treaty, he should be able to claim that tax as a tax credit.

I wanted to update this thread with our recent experiences. My wife & I decided to not get her DL until she gets her EAD, that way she can get 1 year of validity. So, as I still intended for her to have a form of American ID, we decided we would temporarily focus on getting her a TX ID Card.

Hence, on Feb 6, we went to a local TX DPS to do that. They wanted 2 pieces of mail from different sources addressed to her name, between 30 & 90 days old. Since her POE was just Dec 31, she didn't have that. So they allowed me (someone who lives with her) to sign a waiver. So they basically wanted documents from me instead. I didn't have 2 documents on me; only 1. Needless to say, after we burnt 1.5 hours waiting, we got nothing.

So yesterday was Betty's Biometrics. We decided to attempt the TX ID again as well. This time I brought 4 documents, as I'd rather have too many but not enough. I brought a paystub received between 30 & 90 days, 2014 W-2, my current auto-registration & the one that goes into effect on March 1, my current insurance policy. They accepted those. That said, they advised us that her TX ID would only be valid through the date the Visa is valid (essentially the same as the I-94, as the Visa's validity end-date changes once the beneficiary POEs to 90 days after POE), March 30.

So basically we consider it all wasted time, essentially. Once she gets her EAD, we will go back to TX DPS to renew her TX ID for one year & get her TX DL, which will also only be valid for one year. Then when she finally gets her GC, we will renew both to the normal ones (6 years for DL IIRC & 8 years for ID IIRC). I hope this post helps others in TX.

I think you might be confused on some of this.

I'm not sure why you expected the evidence of residency requirements to be different for the state ID to the state driving license. It's the state ID aspect of the driving license that requires proof of residency. EDIT: Just noticed that the link you were given above about the Texas ID card even specifies that you have to provide proof of state residency and gives you a link to the list of documents you can use for proof.

I'm even more unsure why you would want her to renew her state ID and get a driving license. The state ID is just there for people who need ID but do not drive. Once you have a driving license, the separate state ID is redundant. I doubt you're even allowed to hold both. On top of that, your wife should be able to use her passport for ID for most requirements, though that can't be used to prove state residency.

Owen--Try what my husband has settled on: Kroger brand- 100% Black Tea- British Blend. The box is brownish orange and usually on the bottom row. 80 tea bags/$2.99. He thinks it is most like his former Sainsbury's red label. Wondering if you would find it satisfactory.

Starbucks has recently switched to Tevana. He doesn't like the Tevana Royal English blend as much as Tazo Awake. Takes longer to brew. Weak. He called it "fortnightly tea". You Brits will probably get that joke. Took me awhile.

He bought some Barry's decaf off the clearance table at Kroger half-priced and said it was nice.

Thanks. I'll try to pick a box up some time. We normally go to HEB, but occasionally go to the new Kroger at Barker Cypress and Tuckerton, that's now our closest grocery store.

I used to drink Clipper tea in the UK, and you can't get it here.

Since arriving in the US, I've experimented with quite a few different brands, to see what I like. I'm lucky that HEB stock a decent range, including several English imports (which I don't usually buy). This is what I found:

- Tazo Awake - what I usually buy now. It seems to have more subtle aromatic teas added, so it's not quite a standard "builders tea" blend, but I like it. This is what they usually serve in Starbucks in the US. It's a bit expensive though.

- Stash English Breakfast. Standard breakfast tea, but still good.

- Twinings. Not sure if this is the same as their UK tea. It's OK and a decent blend.

- Vinis. OK.

- Ceylon English Breakfast. OK.

- Lipton yellow label. Only if I'm desperate. This is what is provided at work.

- Bigelow. No.

For Shana Mike and others:

Bank accounts can usually be linked, providing you stay with the same bank. What this does is it allows you to use one account (or a combination) to fulfill the balance or income requirements for free banking, so that you don't have to maintain a minimum balance in each of your individual and joint accounts to avoid fees.

Once you are married, you should use joint accounts for all day to day expenses and to receive salaries where possible, since having an inactive joint account isn't very useful when it comes to later stages like removal of conditions and citizenship.

Oh, and I recommend you ask questions like this in separate threads. This thread seems to mostly be K1-related chat, and it's only by chance that I bothered reading through it.

Ok. Thank you for the advice. I arrive here last day of december 2014 so I am confused if I have to file or not...lol

You don't have to file, but you can choose to. You and your husband have a choice for 2014:

1. He files as "married filing separately" and you don't file.

or

2. Since you were married to a US citizen at the end of 2014, you can elect to count as tax resident for the whole of 2014. You have to include all of your income for 2014, but you can usually get credit for taxes paid in your home country to make up for this. If you make this choice, you and your husband can file as "married filing jointly".

Option 1 is easier, especially for you. Option 2 will probably mean that you and your husband owe less in taxes, though this is not guaranteed, and you'd need to run the numbers with and without the election.