Starting at Square One...

Hello, All!

First of all, am I ever delighted to have found a website like this!! After hours and hours of trying to find just such a forum board, I yelled out "FINALLY!!!" when I found this link!

My best friend and I are ** hopeless ** Anglophilles.  A very dear friend of ours lives in London, and we have spent about a month there every summer for the past four years, and our love for that city is only growing as time passes.  We both feel that if we don't at least spend SOME extended time there, and get the heck outta here (Los Angeles) we're going to go stark raving mad!!

Which brings me to the question of... where to start?

Both her and I have been doing a LOT of research these past few months about how to apply for visas, what sort of visas you need, working visas, etc., etc., etc.,  But we're still sort of at a loss as to what would be the best option for us.

She works full time, and I work part time while also being a part time student.  At first we were simply going to try for the normal +6 months visa and then do our darn best to get a work visa by applying for a job over there... but everyone seems to think that trying for a work visa is fighting a lost cause.  

Now I'm reading about student visas, which COULD be the better route. Has anyone out there gone to the UK on this said Student Visa? Is it much easier to get than a normal visa? Or, for that matter, has anyone out there SUCEEDED in securing a work visa from overseas without being involved in the Migrant Worker program??

Oh dear, I *am* terribly sorry to load everyone with all these questions, but I just am in desperate need to speak with someone know knows what they're talking about!!

Kind regards and a warm fuzzy hello to all!

~Carley
Los Angeles, CA

Have you checked out our Student forum?  There's more info there about student visas.

You're better off with a student visa.  There's no way you can work here legally if you have not been sponsored by a company, or married to a brit, or have lineage (only going back one generation).  As for your friend does the company she work for have an office in London?  If not then it's going to be impossible for her.  Unless of course she goes back to school. There are other creative options but it depends on your work background. (I believe there are "special visas" for artist, musicians, reporters, ministers of religion, Au Pairs, just to name a few etc. those I believe are some of the exception to the rules.)  Hey tell you'r friend to become an Au Pair.  There's an option.

You may want to take a look at this site: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/default.asp?pageID=106  There's a drop down menu an you can pick your option of what to use in order to obtain the right papers to live here.

Good luck to you..  How ironic I'm dying to get back tot he United States and in the process of doing just that and you want to come here.