Need lots of Advice! Oregon to UK by myself

I'm not sure that your dog will be considered a strong enough tie to the US, but it's a start, though I might include just one photo and then anything you have that proves he's your dog (i.e. ownership papers (if there are such things), vet bills, etc.). You mentioned before that your mum will be taking care of the dog... can you get her to write a letter to that effect and that she is expecting you to return home to her and the dog on X date?

What about a home in the US to return to? In your first post, you mention you bought a condo... you should include the deeds and your latest mortgage statement to show you own property and are continuing to maintain/pay for it while you are in the UK.

Any job or studies in the US that you will be returning for?

What about any other commitments you have to get back for? Things like weddings, graduations, parties, holidays, interviews, appointments, events you have tickets for... anything like that will help.

selling the condo before I leave, but can always stay in my parents guest house upon return. I have 2 jobs that I can return to. mom can write me a letter as well.

selling the condo before I leave, but can always stay in my parents guest house upon return. I have 2 jobs that I can return to. mom can write me a letter as well.

The thing is that by selling the condo you are jeopardising your chances of being allowed into the UK as a visitor... because you are getting rid of one of the main ties to the US that they expect you to have.

The two main strong ties they will look for are:
- you currently own or rent a home in the US
- you have a current job that you are taking time off from in order to come to the UK

I would STRONGLY advise NOT to sell your condo before you leave if you want to be able to visit the UK for (up to) 6 months.

Looking at it from the immigration officer's POV, which of these two people would you say was likely to return to the US as the end of their visit (because they have a life and obligations they cannot abandon) and which one might be likely to try to overstay in the UK (because they have no real obligations or an established life to go back to).

Person 1
- has a job as a teacher
- wishes to spend their 3-month summer vacation in the UK
- has a return ticket for the end of the summer
- has their teaching job contract, latest payslip and a letter from their boss stating that they will return to work in the Fall
- owns a house with a mortgage that they will continue to pay while they are in the UK
- has an elderly parent they help take care of who they need to get back to
- has $8,000 in their bank account to support their trip
Total strong ties to the US = 3 (job, house, elderly parent)

Person 2
- wishes to visit the UK for 6 months
- has a return ticket back to the US
- has $10,000 in their bank account to support their trip
- has a dog in the US... but dogs can be easily moved to the UK within a few weeks
- has no current job to go back to
- has their CV/resume with them in their suitcase
- has just sold their house so has no property to go back to
- has a couple of jobs they could apply for when they get home, but no legal contracts or obligations to them
Total strong ties to the US = 0
Total weak ties, which may or may not not be considered = 1 (the dog)
Total ties to the US if they hadn't  sold their house = 1 strong, 1 weak

Ideally you need at least 2 strong ties in order to be allowed into the UK for a long visit of several months

If you don't sell your condo, that would be 1 strong tie. If you can get a US job that is guaranteed to start when you get back and that you have signed a contract for, or already started before you leave the US, that could be a 2nd strong tie, though it may only be considered a weak one if it's only a prospective job.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

we have to sell the condo to cover dad's cancer treatment anyway... there is no avoiding it. tho, that would be another tie to the US. I do hospice care for all my family members who have died of cancer, and dads turn will be soon. should he take a turn for the worst while I'm there, I'll be leaving earlier than planned. that's why I'd have to stay at my parents house anyway. mom works full time, so she wouldn't be able to take care of him once he is bedridden

we have to sell the condo to cover dad's cancer treatment anyway... there is no avoiding it. tho, that would be another tie to the US. I do hospice care for all my family members who have died of cancer, and dads turn will be soon. should he take a turn for the worst while I'm there, I'll be leaving earlier than planned. that's why I'd have to stay at my parents house anyway. mom works full time, so she wouldn't be able to take care of him once he is bedridden

Ah, okay - in that case, your strong tie will be your father and needing to get back home to care for him.

So, for the visitor visa, you'd be best showing:
- that your house was sold to pay for his treatment, which means you will stay with your parents' when you get back (you can include a letter confirming this)
- that you need to get back home within the 6 months in order to care for him
- you don't have a job because you care for your family
- you also have a dog you need to get back to (least important, but still worth including)

Since it looks like it's going to be difficult or even impossible for you to move here right now, I would think about changing your upcoming holiday to include some more places that might be just as cool and might be more realistic for you to live there for a while.  I can't recommend many specific places because it's been a while since I was free, but what about Thailand, Japan, or somewhere in Europe.  I'd bet that you could live in Romania or Moldova or maybe even Prague and actually get a job in video production.  Or as a bartender, but at least you'd be having an adventure.  Maybe you'll find that Thailand has all kinds of special things as well.  Maybe over time you'll meet a British guy worth marrying, or your career will advance to the point where you have enough clout to get hired by a company that will provide a UK visa.  What's more likely is that your life adventure will find you and it will be nothing like what you think it is.  And probably way more exciting than Southampton.

If I were you, I'd broaden my horizons and see the world.  Stay in the UK and visit your friends for a few weeks, then head east.

Hi:

I've come to this a bit late in the day but just thought I'd chime in as I came over on a Tier 2 (what was called a work permit) back in 2005. I say this as a point that it is not impossible to get sponsored however I had some distinct advantages in securing the job and sponsorship:

Although I wasn't employed by the company at that time I had previously worked in the US office of the same company and had worked directly with the UK office in my previous role so I knew the company and that particular office along with the people who interviewed me. I also had full knowledge of the products having worked for the US arm of the company.

I have two Master's Degrees relevant to the post and I had several years' experience in the area in which I was applying at a managerial level.

I'm fluent in one of the languages needed for the position and had previously lived in one of the countries that was in my territory (it was a sales role).

Also, keep in mind that this was back in 2005 when the economy was in a much better place. Brexit adds a lot of uncertainty to all of this.

Just to add in relation to your area of expertise, my friend came over to the UK to study film and production. After her studies she took advantage of the post-study work visa available to her at the time. She made lots of great contacts in film here through stints at various places but it was still not enough for her to get sponsored anywhere at the end of that period. The problem is that that industry employs a lot of freelance positions over permanent ones. Just something to be aware of.

So, I don't wish to paint a fully negative picture but I thought you should be aware of what you're up against. I ended up staying in the UK, getting married, having a child and settling. I do like living here but getting permanent residency and eventually citizenship wasn't easy and it was very expensive. The years of being on sponsorship came with a constant knowledge in the back of my mind that if the job were to end, I'd be forced to leave. I don't regret it but just be aware that it comes at a price.

Also, keep in mind that this was back in 2005 when the economy was in a much better place. Brexit adds a lot of uncertainty to all of this.

I imagine a lot of places, because of Brexit, aren't sure what their hiring practices are going to be/how they will be impacted so they probably avoid hiring anybody where they will need to provide sponsorship because of the potential complications. We're constantly getting emails from corporate confirming that they still aren't sure how we will be impacted but assuring everybody they will keep them updated when things become more clear. etc. etc.

Hi Meg,
Unfortunately, the days of showing up at a UK company and and saying "I have the skills you need so give me a job but you have to sponsor my visa" are probably gone.

Instead, plan how you will accomplish your dream.

I am in the UK on a Tier 2 work visa. This required:
- that I convinced my company to sponsor the visa
- that I worked for my company for a year and a half to satisfy the visa requirement
- that the company showed the UK government that I was not taking the job from a UK resident

So research, research, research.

Find a US company with a UK office. Find out what sorts of activities are done out of that UK office.  Are you able to do some of those activities?

Get hired by that company and show them how much you can learn/know about their processes. Then be prepared to show them how useful you can be to their UK office.  Maybe because you know how the company does expenses.  Or travel.  Or software installations.  Whatever it is, you would need to give them a reason to go through the (however slight) trouble of sponsoring your work visa.

Further, in my case, I was prepared to pay all the expenses of moving my household to the UK, even including the cost to the company of filing the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) where the company requests permission from the UK government to sponsor an immigrant. As I explained to my group director: I could pay for everything: moving expenses, travel expenses, and so forth, but I could not buy the visa.  For that I needed the company's assistance.

Your strategy needs to include convincing a company so supply the visa.
This could range from a director (in my case) deciding "if we can make it happen, why not?" to more hard-headed "what is the benefit to the company?"

You need to be able to quantify to some degree that "what is the benefit" question.

Sorry if this comes across as pessimistic. But to do a permanent move to the UK, short of finding an available UK-citizen Bachelor, you need to approach this as a project and develop a plan for its fulfillment.
If instead, you have rare qualifications, you may be able to convince a UK company that they need you. If you have such qualifications, I envy you as I had to take the hard road.

It can be done. The dream can happen. But not by chance. Plan it and make it happen. Best of luck.

Best regards.
Terry