Ello! I hope to learn alot!

My name is Andrew Goeke. I am 27 and looking to move to the UK as soon as i finish my degree. I am here in hopes to make contacts and learn everything i need to do before i head overseas. I should be moving with a group of friends but i want to have a plan B. I want to know what is required to live and stay in the UK. What job opportunities are available, I currently work for McDonald's and would love to just transfer. First and foremost however i want to make contacts!

I hope to find everything i need!
Andrew

Hi there, welcome to the forum and good luck with your plans .

First off, you'll need to qualify for a visa before you can move to the UK - you can't just move there and then try to figure things out like jobs.

Unfortunately, visas can be very difficult to get. If you are not a UK or EU citizen and don't have any family members (i.e. a spouse) who are UK or EU citizens, then your only options will be a student visa or a work visa.

- Tier 2 Work visas are extremely difficult to get these days, unfortunately. You would need get a job and to be sponsored by a UK company for a visa before you can move. However, unless the job is listed on the skills shortage list for the UK (http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/workingintheuk/shortageoccupationlist.pdf), the company has to prove they could not find anyone in the UK or other 26 EU countries who are capable of doing the job before they can hire you... but there are 500 million people in the EU, and unemployment is high right now.

- There is a Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visa, but the requirements to get it are pretty high and it's something that your employer will need to sort out the initial sponsorship paperwork for. For example, though, if you wanted to transfer for more than 12 months, you would need to prove that you will be earning over £40,000 a year in the UK - that's the equivalent of $64,000 per year.

- Your other option would be to study in the UK on a Tier 4 student visa - it would most likely mean doing a masters degree or another bachelors, and it is pretty expensive. Unless you have lots of savings, you'd probably need to take out US loans to cover the cost. As a general figure, Tier 4 visa applicants need to show they have a minimum of about $25,000 available to them either in their bank account of by way of a US loan (for the first year of tuition and living costs) before they can apply for the visa.

One other visa option if you are currently a student in the US is the BUNAC Intern in Britain scheme (http://www.bunac.org/usa/interninbritain/). However, it would only allow you to live in the UK for a maximum of 6 months before you would have to go back to the US. You would also have to secure an internship in the UK before leaving the US.

For more information about the different visas available:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/
http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/

Thank you so much. I t looks like i will have a lot of work to do. Would it be possible to move to another country in the UK live there for awhile and then to England or is the UK altogether difficult?

Also, what would be the best way to keep up in the news of the country? What paper would be recommended?

Thank you Again
Andrew

It's all of the UK.

Do you have any Irish grandparents?

Its the UK as a whole. Immigration has really tightened up over the years. It is impossible to just decide you want to come and move here and fly over. Just as those wanting to the US to live can't just fly in and move in.  
 As far as what newspaper it would really depend on which country in the UK you are interested in moving to. For instance someone in England will most likely recommend a particular paper while someone in Scotland will recommend another,as will someone in Wales and Northern Ireland too. If you are looking for a overall view I'd reccommend checking out the on line version of all the UK papers you find listed in a search. Each will have its own slant on the news. Welcome to the forum.

Thank you so much. I t looks like i will have a lot of work to do. Would it be possible to move to another country in the UK live there for awhile and then to England or is the UK altogether difficult?

No, unfortunately not - the immigration rules and visas apply to all countries within the UK, so you would need the same type of visa to live in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

The UK government has been making immigration restrictions tighter lately and are clamping down on the number of work visas allocated. Basically, they are trying to reduce the number of immigrants coming to the UK, and because there's nothing they can do to stop EU citizens moving to the UK, they are targeting non-EU citizens on work and student visas!

Getting jobs in the UK right now is hard and competition is tough (I think I read there are about 70 graduates applying for every job): I'm a UK citizen with two masters degrees in science - my skills are listed on the job shortage list (so apparently they can't get enough UK/EU citizens to fill the positions), yet I could not find a graduate job to save my life (all the companies seemed to want a minimum of a PhD and/or 10 years of experience). I started my job hunt in August 2008, while working in retail to support myself, and finally secured a graduate job in October 2010!

Also, what would be the best way to keep up in the news of the country? What paper would be recommended?

Everyone has different newspaper preferences - I only read the local paper from my home town, so I'm not much help in that department!

I usually get most of my news stories from the BBC News website though.

I do not have irish grandparents. Thank you all for the information. Is there any major reason that immigration in general has been tightening up? it feels as though the stronger nations of the world are leaning more towards isolationism. This is the one goal i have had set for my life and i refuse to take no for and answer :-) but i will do what is necessary.

i am looking at Great Brittan Specifically.

Thank you all for your information i hope to keep learning in hopes of finding a way.
Andrew Goeke

Please don't take this the wrong way, but the UK gov't doesn't care about your goals, or mine, or anyone else's.

They only care about getting re-elected and, like in the US, that means limiting immigration.

Its cool, i understand. i am just not one to take no for an answer, lol there is always a way, some just take more time than others. i also understand reasons for policies and what not.

Thank you for your help
Andrew Goeke :-)

Hi Andrew, welcome to UKY 

Do you have an EU ties in your ancestry? There are countries that have pretty easy to obtain (relative to say the UK) ancestry citizenship - so it can be worth looking into. Having an EU passport allows you to live in the UK.

Otherwise, BUNAC is a great option to dip your feet in after you finish school. Or how do you feel about a master's degree? 

When there's a will, there's a way- and don't give up your dreams, there can be ways!