See Our Tips On Moving to the USA
A lot of British ex-pats have a dream of moving to the United States of America. Not only does the U.S have glamorous states like New York and California, but they have plenty of diverse weather to go along with it. It’s no wonder a lot of people dream of someday getting to experience what life’s like across the pond.
However, any move can be stressful. This is especially true when you are moving halfway across the globe. Relocating to USA can be difficult. A lot of people have a difficult time settling into a new place where they have no connections. That being said, with adequate preparation, you can make the entire process much smoother and easier to manage.
Giving yourself the knowledge you need about visas, healthcare, and even finance – you can make the relocation much less stressful. Below, you will learn about some of the top tips that you will want to use when thinking about relocating to the U.S.
Top Tips For Moving To The USA
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Visa Planning
One of the most difficult parts of moving to the USA is the visa process. Obtaining a visa to move to the United States legally can be a long, tedious, and time-consuming process. A visa is what you need that stamps your approval to travel and even live there.
While a U.K citizen can enter the United States without a visa for as many as 90 days, longer-term stays require a visa. The main determination to whether you need a visa or not is your purpose of travel and stay. Likewise, the duration of your visit also plays a role. You will find a lot of different immigration experts that you can speak with. One of them being First Migration.
They can help you figure out what kind of visa you need based on what you will be travelling to the U.S for and how long you will be there. They can guide you throughout the entire process from start to finish.
Because a lot of United States visas can be extremely hard to get, you’ll want to start the planning process way before your scheduled trip. You need to ensure that you are doing this far in advance if you plan on staying in the U.S for a long time. Likewise, it’s important to understand how long the permanent resident process can take to acquire if you plan on staying for years. If you want updated details on vias, you can check out the United States embassy on the UK website.
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Healthcare
Perhaps one of the most significant differences between the two countries is the lack of a free healthcare system in the United States. In the UK, you have free healthcare that you can rely on. Whereas, if you are in the U.S, you need to ensure that you plan out your health insurance to avoid putting yourself in a bad situation.
In most cases, your employer would be responsible for paying for your health care. However, you need to ensure that you have the insurance coverage you require to keep yourself from having to pay significant costs out of pocket.
No matter your situation, you want to be fully covered. It doesn’t matter if you’re staying for the short or long term. Otherwise, you could find yourself having to owe a lot of money for even the most simple procedure.
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Finances
You also want to ensure that you are familiar with both banking and finances in the U.S. While the cost of living in the USA will prove to be much more affordable outside of some of the larger cities, you will need to look at the costs beforehand. You’ll find the cost varies widely based on the state and area you’re looking to live in.
Setting up a bank account in the U.S is pretty straightforward. Once you have your assigned Social Security Number (SSN), you should be able to set one up. However, it’s important to see whether or not your current bank in the U.K has a brand in the U.S. This can make it a lot easier to set up and transfer money. A lot of banks have partnerships overseas. You can do this beforehand to take one thing off your mind before your trip. Sometimes, you may even be able to open your U.S account before you get there.
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Cultural Differences
You will find that just about everyone in the U.S has a car. The entire country is reliant on vehicles for transportation. They don’t have the best infrastructure when it comes to public transportation and the distances are fairly significant. Because of this, you’ll likely need to plan on having a car, renting one, or taking a car-sharing service to get around. That being said, the cost of owning a car is much cheaper in the U.S than it is in the UK.
Likewise, you want to be familiar with the tipping culture in the United States. In the U.S, you are typically expected to leave anywhere from a 15 to a 20% tip. This is usually only done when you are going out to restaurants, taking a tour, or drinking at a pub/bar.
While people do tip in the UK, it’s much more embedded into the fabric of Americans. Therefore, you could be perceived as being cheap or rude if you don’t. The main reason for this has to do with the low pay of service workers in the U.S. A lot of these people are underpaid and they rely on tips to make enough money to support themselves.
You will also find that a lot of Americans are prideful in their country and its flag. You’ll find a lot of people wearing clothing with flags and having flags hung on their homes. You’ll find the same thing with religion.
Many different religions and ethnicities are present in the U.S and you will want to be respectful of them all. If you’re looking to make a move to the U.S anytime soon, you can count on ARK Relocation to assist. Get A Free Moving Quote and find out more : https://www.arkrelocation.com/international/removals-america-shipping-to-usa/
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My Story: Gabby Gomes of Ark Relocation
I’m Gabby Gomes, the heart and soul behind Ark Relocation in Milton Keynes. With over three decades in the moving industry, I’ve steered Ark Relocation to be a trusted name, offering everything from house removals to commercial relocations. We’ve also ventured into European and International removals, ensuring seamless transitions for our clients, whether near or far.
