From Small Town South Carolina to the UK

Hello everyone,

I am a student at the University of South Carolina, and I will be graduating in May. I recently studied abroad at Warwick University just outside of Coventry. Long story short, I fell in love with the country, the culture, and a certain Scouser. I have been back to visit multiple times in the year I have been back in the States, and I have made the decision to move after graduation. I was wondering if anyone has advice for me regarding this decision. Does anyone know of websites where I could potentially look for work in the UK, and furthermore, are my chances of immigrating better considering I will have a degree, two majors, and have previously obtained a Tier 1 visa for the country. I was hoping that given Warwick is a respected Uni in the UK I will have a foot in the door. Any advice is welcome.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to chatting with you all!

What is your line of work? It will be very difficult for a new graduate to find a position in the UK with a company that will sponsor you for a visa. These positions are within shortage industries and are usually for highly skilled/experienced employees.

Welcome to the forum!

The UK is trying desperately to reduce immigration which makes for qualifying for a non-family visa difficult; your best bet may be the family path.  

At the moment, a UK employer can only sponsor non-UK/EU workers if they can demonstrate that the position is not able to be filled by someone in the UK or EU (called the resident labor market test).  If the position is listed on the skills shortage list, the resident labor market test does not need to be completed; however, jobs on this list are usually quite specialized and/or require a substantial amount of experience in your field.

It's not impossible, but as a new graduate (and assuming you don't have much career experience as of yet), it will likely be an uphill battle.

Try the BUNAC program - it will get you over for 6 months at the very least and you can see where you are at with your relationship after that time period - if you want to marry or if you want to try and stay in the country via studentship.

My experience was much the same.  I ended up returning to the UK in order to do my Masters degree so that option is always there for you.  That would give you just over a year to spend in the UK.  The benefit then is that, should you be offered a full-time position (you can only work 20 hours per week on the Tier-4 visa), the company does not have to do the Market Test.  However, international fees at university can be very expensive and you will need that you have enough money (or the promise of money through loans) to cover the entire year plus approx. £800-£1000 per month for expenses at the time of the visa application.  The US will give federal loans if the UK University has a FASFA code, which most big ones will. 

Good luck with your decision and welcome to the forum!

The UK is trying desperately to reduce immigration

This makes it sound like they are fighting the plague.

Hey there, I'm from Greenville, SC.    Congrats on your graduation!

To be honest... you finding a job which will sponsor a work visa for you is going to be next to impossible, unless you are a highly specialized doctor or something. 

Have you ever considered working abroad in another country for a year or so?  You can easily teach English in many Asian countries without any actual teaching qualifications. 

I was in a similar situation eight years ago.  I wanted to be with my UK boyfriend (whom I'd met while traveling,) so we both got jobs teaching English in Japan.  It was a way for us to develop our relationship, and now we're newly married and planning on settling in the UK, once I can get a spouse visa. 

You'll need a CELTA or similar TESOL certification to teach in European countries, but not for most Asian countries.  Japan for sure doesn't require it. 

If you and your honey are interested in traveling and teaching, it might be an option.  I know it sounds crazy, but hey, it worked for me!  ha ha. 

From Charleston, SC here and now living in Cardiff.

I can only second what everyone has said here. I ended up going the route of doing a Masters degree here and plan to switch to a spousal visa after my fiancé  and I get married in October. We met in person for the first time when I studied in London while I was in law school in 2012 and then spent nearly 2 years doing the long distance thing until I finished law school and took the SC bar exam. 

If you were ever thinking about doing a masters degree, it's certainly a good option. Particularly if the financial requirement might pose a problem for you in the future. If you're already in the UK and permitted to work (as you are on a student visa) then both your incomes can be counted to reach the £18.6k requirement. After student and work routes, the only other way to live here is essentially to get married.  Good luck exploring your options!