Hello from Boston!

Hey everyone! I'm Fandango, an independent video game designer living in Boston, Massachusetts. I'm looking to move to England in a year and a half or two years - so I know it's a bit early for me to start preparing, but I figure when it comes to as big a change as moving to another country, it's never too early to get started, right?

I'm planning the move for a number of reasons. England has a lot of newer companies popping up in the video game industry and it'd be easy for me to try to get a job in my field there. Also, I've never even been outside of the states before! I like to plunge into things headfirst and what better than to move to another country - especially one I've been fascinated by for years? Oh, and it doesn't hurt that my wonderful British boyfriend lives there, either! 

We'd like to move in together after he finishes his degree in the fall of next year. So while we don't have a location in mind or anything yet, I'd like to do what I can to prepare in the meantime to make the transition go as smoothly as possible. And this whole thing is kind of overwhelming! Hence why I'm joining these forums.

Just from looking around the site I can tell this is a great community full of helpful, friendly people, and I'm looking forward to becoming a part of it.

Hello and Welcome!    I would have loved to get into game design- I even took several art classes in college with the intention of perusing that field. There is that saying that "life is what happens when your busy planning" so it never happened for me. So I just enjoying playing video games instead!

 Hope you find all the answers you need! Good luck with your big future move.

Welcome, Fandango from fellow Bostonian!  You'll find A LOT of great and helpful advice here.  I've found that joining this community is one of the best things I've done as hubby and I are planning to make our move from Boston to England next summer when our lease is up here (he's the UKC).

Good luck with everything!   

Welcome to UKY!  Always a great idea to have a plan and live the dream ;-)

Research all the visa options so you have an idea of what you are shooting for but remember they can always change the goal posts ;-)

This place in very valuable for information and support.

good luck!

Welcome to UK Yankee. I am a fellow Massachusetts ite ... Born and bred. I grew up about 20 miles SW of Boston in a small town called Medfiled. I was living in Medway before moving here to Scotland in 1999. Im a dual now. lolol. Was just in Mass in June visiting relatives and friends. Had a lovely day in Boston walking the freedom trail and the harbour(near the Aquarium etc )..
No advice for ya just wanted to welcome another Masshole 

Welcome from another Bostonian. I'll be heading back to the UK early 2012 -- for the second time around.

Good luck!

Yay! Massholes! Not born and bred, I'm afraid, but our last US stop was Cambridge, which I love dearly and must admit I do miss. 
 

our last US stop was Cambridge, which I love dearly and must admit I do miss. 
 

Well, it's very hot and sticky just now! 

By far your most straightforward path would be if your wonderful British boyfriend were to become your wonderful British fiance. I don't know what opportunities they offer entrepreneurs, but they're eliminating visas and tightening the rules all the time. But let's not scare him off just yet.

I had thirty years in Providence working in Norwood. I'd kill for a Royal Pizza right about now.

Well, it's very hot and sticky just now! 

That's a bit of an understatement (at least it's feels like it is  )...and we haven't even hit August yet!  Ugh! 

Well, it's very hot and sticky just now! 

Do not ruin my fantasies!    It's crisp and cool and October in my head.  Cue crunching leaves!

Do not ruin my fantasies!    It's crisp and cool and October in my head.  Cue crunching leaves!

Ahhhh! That sounds nice.

Thanks for all the welcomes! It's great to see so many other Bostonians here And I have to agree with you all on the heat, I feel like I have to peel myself off of everything I touch D: ughh

Kaylesh, that's so bizarre - I grew up in Medway and the neighboring town of Holliston for most of my life! :O

As for my traveling situation, I spent pretty much all of yesterday researching visas and it does look like my only option would be if the boy and I decided to go down the fiancee/civil partner route. Which isn't necessarily out of the question, but it was really jarring to learn that it's the only way for me. I don't believe I qualify for any of the types of work visas - my boyfriend made them sound so easy to get, too! I don't think he's really researched the laws lately, though.

Oh well - I'm speaking to him today and I guess I'll tell him what I've learned. I'm sure that'll be an interesting conversation!

Small world then Fandango eh? Feel free to ask away its a friendly lot here. 

Coldest Summer in 18 years here -- at least, my husband read that somewhere. It's downright chilly, anyhow. We've had a fire a couple of times in the last two months.

Don't discount the long distance route, if you two aren't ready to make the commitment. I know it doesn't sound appealing -- I know, because we did it for a very long time and it's hard -- in the end, though, it worked out for the best. For us, anyhow. Even if we sometimes despaired it was ever going to work out at all.

I'd hate to think what it would have been like in the days before Skype and cheap trans-Atlantic travel (well, it was cheap when I was doing it. Before 9/11, I could get a February flight over for $99 each way and almost no airport taxes).