Calfornia Gal looking to run away from home!

Hi All - was referred to this forum from the Welcome Wagon (thank you!) - here is my situation - and I want to move to the UK because the HISTORY alone is enough for me to explore and be fascinated by for the rest of my life (and I don't speak any other languages - so other countries would "work" - but it seems like it would be so much more difficult)!

Facts:
46 - Female - Divorced
Self-employed - I own a number of websites that can be managed from anywhere.
Yearly income - Only @ $50K
Bachelors Degree (2 - but no one seems to care about #2)!
Kids - grown (yeah)!

SO - I'm coming in Aug or Sept for 6-8 weeks to wander around. I already know that I do not want to come back to Calif - I've been living in a "borrowed" home for two years, and I'm DONE.

My loves are travel, history, (the study of) religions, historical architecture and lingerie (my businesses).

Best Idea <so far>: Rent a furnished room in a flat - possibly in Cardiff (central, inexpensive) - use public transport until i know if it's looking like i want to stay - then buy a car so that I can travel easily.

Question: What if I want to stay? What the heck will I DO? How will I do it? What are my options?

This question was actually answered pretty thoroughly in your other post.  Given your age, education, and income, you won't qualify for a Tier 1 visa.  Therefore, your options are to find a job that will sponsor you for Tier 2, or go for a masters degree and come over on a student visa. 

If you were to explain your plan to the ECO when you try to enter the country (giving up your house, don't want to go back to California, want to rent a flat and buy a car, etc.), I doubt they would even let you in as a visitor.  Because you want to try to stay for 6-8 weeks and you are travelling alone and you're not visiting family or friends (things that are slightly abnormal)...it's highly likely for the IO to ask you a lot more questions than the "average" visitor.  If you lie to them about your intentions, they could ban you from the country for up to 10 years.

I'm not really sure what your options are as far as visas and legally settling in the UK (it looks like historyenne and WebyJ gave you some advice on that front in your other thread)...but make sure you're being careful about doing everything the correct way when you come over for your visit (i.e. you plan on leaving after your 6-8 weeks is up and apply for a visa to legally settle).

SO - I'm coming in Aug or Sept for 6-8 weeks to wander around. I already know that I do not want to come back to Calif - I've been living in a "borrowed" home for two years, and I'm DONE.

One of the stipulations of being allowed to enter the UK as a visitor is that you must show that you have no intention of staying in the UK for a long period of time - you must have a return ticket back to the US, enough money to support yourself for your entire trip without needing to work and proof of ties to the US that you must return to (such as evidence of US homeownership/a mortgage agreement/a rental agreement, a letter from your employer stating that they are expecting you back at work on a specific date/a letter to show you're enrolled in school in the US).

If the immigration officer at the airport when you land in the UK does not believe you are a genuine visitor and believes that you intend to live in the UK, you probably won't even get out of the airport... they'll put you straight back on a plane to the US (at your own expense).

If you qualify for a visa to the UK (a Tier 2 or a Tier 4 student visa), then you must get one from the US before you try to move. If you are in the UK as a visitor, there is no way to stay and switch to a different visa - you must return to the US first and then apply for a visa from there.

Also, you mention that you are self-employed and own websites, but it will be illegal for you to carry out any kind of work, even unpaid or on the internet, while in the UK as a visitor.

Sounds like I need to stick to my 6 week vacation and suck up all the history and environment that I can. Maybe the rules will change and/or I do have the option of getting a job - what I do is VERY specialized, I'm one of maybe 8 people in the world in this line of work - and there is a company there that would want me... "think -think -think..." but for now - I'll stick to my trip plans. Yikes this is sticky!

Sounds like I need to stick to my 6 week vacation and suck up all the history and environment that I can. Maybe the rules will change and/or I do have the option of getting a job - what I do is VERY specialized, I'm one of maybe 8 people in the world in this line of work - and there is a company there that would want me... "think -think -think..." but for now - I'll stick to my trip plans. Yikes this is sticky!

I'm curious about what it is you do with the websites you own and manage that makes you one of 8 in the world that do your job?

How about ancestry? Any British, Irish, other European or Commonwealth (e.g., Canadian, Australian, etc.) parents or grandparents? It would make things a little different if the answer is "yes"...

Maybe the rules will change and/or I do have the option of getting a job

Unfortunately, the rules are only really likely to change in the way of making it more difficult.  If you read around here, in the last couple of weeks they've launched big changes to economic migration in the UK, and not in anyone's favor.

It's not as easy as movies and TV make it out to be. If only!

I'd say go with your trip for now and do a bit of research in the meantime.  It's not impossible to get over here, but it takes a lot of planning.  I hope you enjoy your trip though.  And, come up north of the border if you get the chance! It's lovely up here! 

Enjoy your six weeks! I'm sure you'll have a great time. And, if your job affords you the luxury of having long holidays, you can do it again sometime, right?

HMRC require that visitors who work via the internet fill out a special form.  It's deffo on HMRC's radar, and they need to examine the form to see if there's any VAT, NI, or what-not falling due.

...and HMRC are one of the last agencies you want to piss off...

Otherwise fine.