Texas to England...how do we make this happen?

This sure seems to be a welcoming community!  I'm looking forward to getting feedback, and getting to know some people here.

Well, where to start?  I'm a thirty-something newly single woman who's recently come back from a month long sabbatical through the UK.  I started in Edinburgh, Scotland and wandered through various cities in England and Wales before landing in London.  I ate too much tasty food (Roast and Yorkshire pudding anyone?), drink WAY too much real ale and craft beer, and was able to catch a couple football games as well, with a lot of sight-seeing and meeting new people in between.  I'd originally intended to travel alone, but as it turned out (fortunately), a friend of mine from the Northeast (Tyne and Wear area) was able to travel with me.  It was an absolutely amazing trip, one that has stolen my heart and left me feeling almost homesick, as odd as that may sound coming from a Texas gal!

I love living in Texas, and America.  I love the size of our country, and the fact that you can travel the length of our nation and see just about any kind of environment you can imagine: deserts, mountains, plains, forests, wetlands, and small-towns to large metropolitan cities.  And not just the landscape, but the people vary from north to south, east to west.

I love living in Texas, but I can't get the UK out of my heart, especially Durham and York.  I remember walking the wall in York and suddenly wanting to sob, knowing I would have to leave eventually.  And that was only halfway through my UK road trip!  The people there were so friendly, the pubs were just amazing, and the atmosphere and history were breath-taking.  I've been struck.  I need to go back.  I need to live there.

So of course, I am very interested in moving to the UK.  I started doing my research on moving and while I didn't expect it to be easy, I certainly didn't expect it to be this difficult either!  It simply doesn't look like it is going to work out for me.  I don't have an occupation or skills that would enable me to get a job on the Shortage Occupation list (I'm an estimator in the steel/oil & gas industry), I'm too old to be a student (I thought the age limit was 30, but I'm finding out that's not correct, so maybe still an option!), and while I do have a love-interest living there in the UK, our relationship is in it's infancy and I'm not prepared to get married.  I also don't have a huge amount of money to be able to support myself without working for an extended period of time, or to start a business. I feel like I've looked into all the options and it simply isn't going to work out, which is disappointing to say the least.  I'm a simple person who lives within her means, and while I know I would be willing to work and not be a drain on the economy, I have no real way to prove it to the UK government, ha.  

And so, even though I keep hitting dead ends, I found this board and figured that it couldn't hurt to read other people's stories and get some feedback.  It's been a pleasure to read other's posts around this forum and I look forward soaking in as much information and as many tips as I can!  Because even if I don't get to live in the UK, I will definitely be back to party!

Welcome to the forum and glad you had a good trip to the UK .

You're right, it's not easy to move here - unfortunately TV and movies make moving to a new country as simple as getting on a plane, but as you're discovering, it's a lot more difficult than that.

Even if you live within your means, are willing to work and won't be a drain on the economy, the UK government is trying to reduce immigration and prevent people from being able to move here, so it's getting harder and harder to qualify for visas.

I don't have an occupation or skills that would enable me to get a job on the Shortage Occupation list (I'm an estimator in the steel/oil & gas industry), I'm too old to be a student (I believe the age limit was 30), and while I do have a love-interest living there in the UK, our relationship is in it's infancy and I'm not prepared to get married.

It sounds like a work visa is not going to be practical for you, however, there is no upper age limit on getting a student visa (where did you hear 30 from?). If you have the money for tuition and living costs and you can get accepted to a UK university, then there's no reason why you can't get a student visa.

Honestly, the easiest way to move would probably be through your relationship with a UK citizen, but you would need to get married in order to qualify for a fiance visa (to marry in the UK within 6 months) or a spousal visa (you get married in the US first), and your partner would need to meet the minimum income requirement for a visa.

If you aren't ready for marriage yet and would be interested in pursuing a degree of some kind in the UK (and you have enough money for the visa - you would need about $25,000 available to you, either in your bank or through a US loan), your best route might be to try for a student visa and move to the UK that way.

Then you could spend more time with your UK partner in the UK and decide later on if you are ready to marry or not (if your student visa was valid more than 2 years, and you lived in a relationship with a UK citizen for those 2 years, you might be able to apply for an Unmarried Partner visa to stay, instead of getting married).

See here for information on getting a Tier 4 student visa:
https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa/overview

Thanks for the reply ksand24.  This is exactly the kind of information I need in order to explore my options.  I don't remember where I read that the age limit was 30.  I thought it was on the gov.uk website, but I just looked again and as you already know, it's not there.  I may have read it on another forum which also means it was probably not reliable.  So it's good to know that is still an option!

Thanks for the reply ksand24.  This is exactly the kind of information I need in order to explore my options. 

No problem at all .

Just one word of caution regarding moving to the UK though - actually living in a new country can be a lot different than just visiting and essentially being a 'tourist' for a few weeks.

I'm British, but I have relatives in the US and after visiting them for a month when I was 12, I fell in love with the country and made it my goal to live in the US one day. It took me 12 years, several more visits, two masters degrees and a year of study abroad in the US (which I loved) to move there on a long-term basis as a PhD student.

Unfortunately, after all that time planning and having already spent about 18 months in the US as an exchange student and a visitor, when I actually moved there at the age of 24, it wasn't all I expected it to be at all and I was miserable there (the workload was crazy, I wasn't enjoying the research, I had no friends, I missed my family, I couldn't figure out how to cook with US ingredients, the TV annoyed me, the politics got on my nerves... just everything got to me)... I made it 8 months before I decided it wasn't worth it and I moved back home to the UK. It's been almost 7 years since then and I haven't regretted the decision for a second.

It just wasn't the same actually moving there properly compared to going on vacation or spending a few months there as an international exchange student. While I still love to visit the US, I'm just not sure I could actually live there again.

Not everyone has the same experience and people do love it here when they move, but it's just something to really think about when you're making big decisions like this.

I don't remember where I read that the age limit was 30.  I thought it was on the gov.uk website, but I just looked again and as you already know, it's not there.  I may have read it on another forum which also means it was probably not reliable.  So it's good to know that is still an option!

It's definitely an option .

You may have seen age 30 in relation to a different visa - for example, the Tier 5 Youth Mobility scheme has an upper age limit of 30 (but US citizens cannot qualify for it anyway) and the old Tier 1 General visa, which no longer exists, used to only give visa qualification points if you were 30 or under.

Just one word of caution regarding moving to the UK though - actually living in a new country can be a lot different than just visiting and essentially being a 'tourist' for a few weeks.

I'm British, but I have relatives in the US and after visiting them for a month when I was 12, I fell in love with the country and made it my goal to live in the US one day. It took me 12 years, several more visits, two masters degrees and a year of study abroad in the US (which I loved) to move there on a long-term basis as a PhD student.

Unfortunately, after all that time planning and having already spent about 18 months in the US as an exchange student and a visitor, when I actually moved there at the age of 24, it wasn't all I expected it to be at all and I was miserable there (the workload was crazy, I wasn't enjoying the research, I had no friends, I missed my family, I couldn't figure out how to cook with US ingredients, the TV annoyed me, the politics got on my nerves... just everything got to me)... I made it 8 months before I decided it wasn't worth it and I moved back home to the UK. It's been almost 7 years since then and I haven't regretted the decision for a second.

That's a valuable word of caution.  I have given that some thought but it does bear taking some extra time to consider.  What area of the US did you live in, if you don't mind me asking?

You may want to have a look at jobs anyway because you are working in oil and gas.  That is a pretty hot industry, especially in Scotland, that appears to have US/UK folk moving between it (especially if you read the mirror site to this: british expats).  While you may not have a special skill, if you are in an industry where demand for knowledge and a track record is valued, then you could be in with a shot at an employer supported visa.

I don't want to get your hopes up, but its not like you are unskilled looking for work.  Does your current company have any presence in the UK?  Are there other jobs you could move into that would position you better to move internationally?  It could take a few years, but I am willing to bet there are some moves you could make now that could set you up well.

That's a valuable word of caution.  I have given that some thought but it does bear taking some extra time to consider. 

It might just be one of those things where you won't know for sure how you will feel about living in the UK until you actually do it. As I said, I had spent 18 months in the US in total over 12 years before I made the more long-term move and I had loved it up until that point... but it was the reality of being on my own and living a real life there (rather than a fun year abroad) that was hard to take.

What area of the US did you live in, if you don't mind me asking?

I lived in New Mexico as a student, and my relatives are in Arkansas - so I've spent about 1.5 years in NM and around 6 months or so in AR.

Thanks for the reply ksand24.  This is exactly the kind of information I need in order to explore my options.  I don't remember where I read that the age limit was 30.  I thought it was on the gov.uk website, but I just looked again and as you already know, it's not there.  I may have read it on another forum which also means it was probably not reliable.  So it's good to know that is still an option!

Another bit of info for you regarding the tier 4 route: if your chosen brutish uni is registered with FAFSA, you can get US student loans to fund your education if you're willing to take them on. That's how I'm currently being funded at the moment at Cardiff Uni.

You may want to have a look at jobs anyway because you are working in oil and gas.  That is a pretty hot industry, especially in Scotland, that appears to have US/UK folk moving between it (especially if you read the mirror site to this: british expats).  While you may not have a special skill, if you are in an industry where demand for knowledge and a track record is valued, then you could be in with a shot at an employer supported visa.

I don't want to get your hopes up, but its not like you are unskilled looking for work.  Does your current company have any presence in the UK?  Are there other jobs you could move into that would position you better to move internationally?  It could take a few years, but I am willing to bet there are some moves you could make now that could set you up well.

I originally figured that being in oil and gas would be an advantage to moving somewhere in the UK, especially Scotland as you mentioned.  I guess my real issue there is that I don't know how to go about exploring that option.  My company does not have an international presence.  I've pondered getting a job at a company with a presence in the UK, since that would be easy to do here in Houston, in this industry.  However I know that is no guarantee I could be transferred abroad.  That company still has to have a need for the position in the UK.  It's possible, but again, I don't know how to go about exploring that option or how much time it would take.  I'd be willing to invest a few years in it.  Are you familiar with LinkedIn?  I'm thinking someone more familiar with LinkedIn or another professional website could let me know how to better us it as a tool to get with a company like this.  Again, like I said, I have thought of this, but I'm just not sure how to pursue it with the intent to move.

I would prefer to obtain a work visa over a student or fiance visa, but it's the most difficult to get.

Hiya just wanted to give some quick info. I currently live in houston (previously the uk) and consult for oil and gas companies re cross border moves. Tons of o&g companies in have a presence in houston and the uk. Many of these companies will hire you with the aim of moving you to another country so it isn't a matter of waiting years in the hopes you may get a transfer. You really need to get familiar with companies that move expats to the uk and this is in no way limited to scotland. Technip, cb&i, shell, chevron, anadarko, Bp, Exxon, Worley parsons, ge, eog, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, bg, bechtel, Hess, baker Hughes, and on and on.

Many of these companies will hire you with the aim of moving you to another country so it isn't a matter of waiting years in the hopes you may get a transfer. You really need to get familiar with companies that move expats to the uk and this is in no way limited to scotland. Technip, cb&i, shell, chevron, anadarko, Bp, Exxon, Worley parsons, ge, eog, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, bg, bechtel, Hess, baker Hughes, and on and on.

Just a note here though, that you do have to meet certain criteria in order to qualify for a visa to transfer to the UK - you need to have been working for the US company for a minimum amount of time (12 months, I believe) and in a position at a certain level... so it's not just a case of getting a job and getting a transfer right away - you do need to meet all the requirements for the visa.

Of course, if the company does hire people with the intention of transferring them, they should be aware of this and be able to make sure you meet the criteria before they try to transfer you.

Thank you for all the feedback, y'all.  It looks like if I don't want to pursue the student visa or the fiance visa, that it would behoove me to check into getting on with one of these international oil & gas or engineering companies.  I actually work in the steel industry with a focus on oil and gas, so we do a lot of fabricating and engineering for some of the companies you mentioned, Sara Smile. 

Thanks again everyone.

Just a note here though, that you do have to meet certain criteria in order to qualify for a visa to transfer to the UK - you need to have been working for the US company for a minimum amount of time (12 months, I believe) and in a position at a certain level... so it's not just a case of getting a job and getting a transfer right away - you do need to meet all the requirements for the visa.

Of course, if the company does hire people with the intention of transferring them, they should be aware of this and be able to make sure you meet the criteria before they try to transfer you.

Yes, sorry I was not explicit in this point, as I thought it was well implied. All the companies below are very familiar with us / uk moves so their awareness is pretty high.