moving to the uk in light of trump presidency...good idea or not?

i'd like to start out by saying that i have always wanted to move to england, and that this is in no way a whim. but i'd always imagined it happening later in my life. however, with trump becoming president, i am in the position to lose my healthcare benefits if he changes pretty much anything about healthcare. i am mentally ill and physically ill and i need medical care and medication to survive, which i will not be able to afford without my medicare and medicaid, which i stand to lose if trump changes things. the nhs seems like a wonderful solution to this.
i am also nonbinary transgender, and on hormone replacement therapy (testosterone), and even if i keep my benefits (highly unlikely) i will have to pay for this out of pocket, as well as anything to do with my transition including my endocrinologist visits and, in the future, surgeries.
i am also worried about hate crime under trump against me, as i am very open about my gender nonconformity and bisexuality, and the uk is overally very lgbt-friendly.
my question is, do these concerns seem like valid reasons for me to look into moving to england in mid-2017. and how can i go about doing so? i am not a student, and i have no formal work experience. i am 20 years old. i am skilled at graphic design and front-end web development, and i would like to use those skills for a career eventually. i do not, however, have a college degree. could i possibly get a web development or graphic design position using just my portfolio that could get me a work visa?
i could also get a student visa i suppose and actually study for a degree in graphic design, considering the price of education is so much cheaper in the uk.
any suggestions for me? i would ideally like to be out of the country within a year at the latest. i also have a cat, but i don't think that she will be a problem except for finding housing that allows pets, as i can easily meet all the requirements for bringing her.
i'm leaning towards brighton as a place to live because i have a friend there, and she has promised to help me in any way she can.
if anyone has any advice for me, even if it's that i'm better off staying in america, please let me know. my parents are fully supportive of me moving as long as i do my research and am fully prepared for it, and they have offered to assist me financially if they need to.

England is very anti-immigrant at the moment, so there are very limited visa options. Going on a student visa or an inter-company transfer (Tier 2) are likely your only two options unless you have a fiance in England. The results of Brexit are also still a big unknown for how it will impact immigrants.

My English husband and I actually decided that we would wait out the Brexit fallout from the US. Cost of living is so much higher & I'd have to pay private for many of my chronic health problems, so moving doesn't make sense right now. He's confident nothing can change too quickly with these election results, and I know personally I will not go down without a fight - if they try stripping away marriage equality or the important parts of the ACA I will be writing my representatives non-stop.

Good luck with your decision. I can understand your fear and desire to leave!

I wouldn't recommend the UK as a place to move to, personally.  For much of the reasons Margo listed.

Also the NHS really only provides vital, life saving care (if you're lucky!).  Most of what you describe you would have to pay out of pocket for.  I've paid a lot more for medical care in the UK than I ever paid in the US.

As you have age on your side, you should look into Australia.  They offer working holiday visas under a certain age.  You can live and work there for a year or two while seeing another part of the world.

Another option would be staying in the US and getting your education in the field you want.  That could lead to international opportunities in the future.  An in-state university in the US will be a million billion times cheaper than the UK.  You'd have to have £25k per year in the UK to study and wouldn't even be able to stay in the UK after you completed your studies.

Best of luck in whatever you decide!

I'd be worried for you that living in a foreign country is hard, physically and mentally.  Even worse if you are far away from your family and friends.  If you are already having a hard time at home, it won't be easier here. 

Also, the NHS is great for physical problems in my experience, but when it comes to mental health it is pretty bad.  Don't imagine that the NHS will take care of your mental health problems.

Have you thought about San Francisco?  Seems like the perfect place for you and your cat.  There's plenty of technology related jobs and more LGBT than you can shake a stick at! 



Good Luck!

I would echo the above studying in the UK would be expensive as a foreign student.  I think the cities in the UK would probably be friendlier than most US cities besides a handful of known US cities as I know quite a few transgender people over here in UK who are generally doing well.  Do you have any recent European ancestry.... grandparent or even further back if any Italian, even with Brexit you could come over for the next 2 years while Brexit is occurring and maybe meet a UK partner which would allow you to stay?  Have you thought about going to Germany to study much, much cheaper than the USA or the UK (many programs are in English) and generally pretty open to LGBT people despite a handful of stories about migrants/refugees attacking Trans-women in the news.  The issue would be healthcare coverage but if you do the student route you would be covered for general medical issues but maybe not transitioning try to search for some LGBT resources to find out about that.  Good luck I know the Trans community is very worried now in the USA.

I know how it is feeling you want to move somewhere more accepting so I wouldn't discourage you from moving countries if that is what you want to do as many people do it LGBT and non-LGBT but be open to listening to what people say about it as it can be tough.  I would also point out the neighbor to the north, Canada is probably the most LGBT friendly English speaking country, cheaper than the UK to study and has visas that would allow you to stay after studying there so also an option.

I would echo the above studying in the UK would be expensive as a foreign student. 

Speaking from ignorance here.....is it more expensive than in the US? A friend of mine who spent a lot of time in the UK (UK wife, 3 kids born here in the UK) is thinking about sending his daughter back for a graduate degree since he thought it was cheaper. Granted.....she did go to a fairly expensive school in CA for her regular degree. I've no idea of the costs for college in the US and UK these days......other than they are MORE than they were (what isn't?).

I've no idea of the costs for college in the US and UK these days......other than they are MORE than they were (what isn't?).

UK Home/EU fees = £9,000 per year
UK International student fees = around £12,000 per year (but can range from £8,000 to £36,000)

US in-state fees (public 4-year college) = around $9,000 per year (£7,000)
US out-of-state fees (public 4-year college) = around $23,000 per year (£18,000)
US private fees (4-year college) = around $30,000 per year (£24,000)

Of course, you also have to add living costs on top of all these too.

When I was an undergraduate in the UK between 2001 and 2005, my UK home fees were £1,100 per year. When I studied abroad in the US in 2003/04, I paid just £550 in fees for the whole year due to the Erasmus scheme (and got $18,000 worth of US tuition in exchange). Then the UK home fees rose to £3,000 per year for students starting their studies in 2006... and rose again to £9,000 in 2010.

Fred, if you study in state at a public university it is WAY cheaper.  My 4 year degree (which has served me VERY well) in the US cost less than 1/3 the cost of a U.K. 3 year degree (had I been a UK citizen). 

I would say about university costs per the original poster to think very careful.  If you said Australia, New Zealand, Canada or if you were foreigner wanting to get into the USA studying in those countries is worth it despite the high cost as it is an investment in education and getting the skills to immigrate.  Studying in the UK probably won't help you be able to immigrate into the UK as the current government is all about letting very few people in where as Australia, Canada and New Zealand are quite easy to immigrate to with the right skills and they are still wanting to grow their populations. (and they generally overall come out more LGBT friendly than the USA in population surveys as well as laws /protections in place on top of the potential for a freeze in progress or backsliding on LGBT issues in the USA over the next 4 years that could last a decade or longer).

  Have you thought about going to Germany to study much, much cheaper than the USA or the UK (many programs are in English) and generally pretty open to LGBT people despite a handful of stories about migrants/refugees attacking Trans-women in the news. 

This is a good idea IMO! I did my bachelor's and master's in Germany. I don't know about English speaking programs as I studied in German, but I'm sure you'd be able to find something, especially IT related. I only paid around 150 Euros per semester in "tuition" and that got me a free public transport ticket worth much more than that. Germany is an extremely open minded and progressive country even if the people seem cold and distant. 

This is a good idea IMO! I did my bachelor's and master's in Germany. I don't know about English speaking programs as I studied in German, but I'm sure you'd be able to find something, especially IT related. I only paid around 150 Euros per semester in "tuition" and that got me a free public transport ticket worth much more than that. Germany is an extremely open minded and progressive country even if the people seem cold and distant.

The OP is looking for free healthcare, but Germany won't let the German taxpayer pay for foreign students.

In Germany, an international student has to prove they have full private health insurance when they apply to be a student. That will not be cheap, especially if they have exisiting conditions and they might not find any insurance company to cover them.
IF Germany allow any dependants with that student, they cannot work either and must also have full private health insurance.

An EEA citizen studying in Germany, needs full private health insurance to pay their health bills. Or their own EEA country pays some of their emergency German health bills for them.


"An important aspect when studying in Germany is finding the suitable health insurance. One should think about this topic early because it is necessary for the application."

"Especially for students who spend a long time studying in Germany it is important to cover the medical and dental treatment. The normal consultation already causes costs that have to be paid. A chill or different normal illness do not become agony but one can go to the doctor without fearing the costs."
http://www.studying-in-germany.org/health-insurance-germany/

Regarding education, there is also a wider variety of funding opportunities in the US versus the UK.  Scholarships are much more common in the US, whereas I got the impression that they were a big exception in the UK.  I funded my entire US 4-year undergrad degree at a state university through scholarships.  I had to take out a fair chunk of loans to pay for a one-year masters course in the UK (not a crazy amount but still a chunk).  Just something to think about.

I would say about university costs per the original poster to think very careful.  If you said Australia, New Zealand, Canada or if you were foreigner wanting to get into the USA studying in those countries is worth it despite the high cost as it is an investment in education and getting the skills to immigrate.  Studying in the UK probably won't help you be able to immigrate into the UK as the current government is all about letting very few people in where as Australia, Canada and New Zealand are quite easy to immigrate to with the right skills and they are still wanting to grow their populations. (and they generally overall come out more LGBT friendly than the USA in population surveys as well as laws /protections in place on top of the potential for a freeze in progress or backsliding on LGBT issues in the USA over the next 4 years that could last a decade or longer).

Actually, it is almst impossible to get a visa to the countries you mention on the back of studying there. In Australia, a person would need to pass a skills assessment. This encompasses the qualification and POST qualification work experience. In most occupations a minimum of 3 years post qual experience is required.

Huge caveat:

I have no experience immigrating to England (which is why I've joined this forum, to ask for help), but I do have almost a decade of experience living abroad.

I can't give you any practical/financial advice, but I can give you advice as an experienced ex-pat:

Life abroad is challenging at the best of times. It places a great strain on you physically, emotionally, and mentally. Particularly if you are looking to go abroad on your own (as I did, and it sounds like you are) rather than with a spouse/partner or family unit, you are taking upon your shoulders the full burden of adapting to a new country, set of customs, laws, culture, etc.

I've also listened to British friends go through horrors in trying to get mental health care for their loved ones. In some cases, a 12-18 month wait to get a few weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy. In other cases, loved ones who have made suicide attempts only to be sent home rather than receive any care beyond physical needs. (Remember my caveat that I haven't lived here, so my secondhand listening experience should be balanced by those who actually have experience here.)

Don't underestimate the tolls of adapting to a foreign country: driving on the other side of the road, getting used to a new system of doing things, making friends/connections in a completely new setting, selling/storing your possessions and all the red tape involved in the millions of unanticipated chores of moving overseas, and all of the difficulties such as filing taxes from abroad.

I was 100% committed to moving overseas when I did it for the first time. I'd spent two years preparing, researching, learning about the culture/customs/system, and moving overseas was a dream come true. It was still an intensely difficult endeavor. I'm glad I did it, but I was in full physical health, reasonable mental health, and had a social network already in place for when I moved there. It was still incredibly difficult and isolating.

No one can tell you what's best for you, but I hope you'll think carefully about all of the ramifications. I'm just as scared about Trump as you are, but maybe you can explore options now without jumping to any decisions.

Best of luck to you. <3 Hope this comes across as an attempt to be helpful, not discouraging.

I've also listened to British friends go through horrors in trying to get mental health care for their loved ones. In some cases, a 12-18 month wait to get a few weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy. In other cases, loved ones who have made suicide attempts only to be sent home rather than receive any care beyond physical needs. (Remember my caveat that I haven't lived here, so my secondhand listening experience should be balanced by those who actually have experience here.)

It's dire.