English guy wishing to move to America

[steve87]

Hi everyone,

 

I (from England) currently work online and my only other colleague lives in Boston, MA. I am wishing to move their simply to make things easier and hopefully meet someone. I love you American girls. I have recently returned from a 1 week holiday to Vegas and LOVED it.

 

I'm not sure I'll be liable for a full visa, I know I can use the standard Visa which lets me stay for 3 months but not sure if I'm allowed that if I'm going there to work. Anyone have any information on this?

 

Anyone who can tell me some good and bad points about Boston in general, would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks.

[pl3asehelp]

Expensive. Cold in the winter.

[catcountry]

Agree with the above.....expensive and cold in the winter BUT, Boston is a beautiful city. I don't live there but I'm less than an hour away and my daughter and I do day trips all the time. We love it. As far as a work visa...you'll need to do some research on that. Good luck

[catcountry]

PS....Boston is NOT Vegas....not even close. So I hope you don't base a move on your Vegas visit.

[steve87]

Expensive, as in food and drink or as in to actually rent a place? I can't believe it's more expensive than London! How much is a pint or a main meal? Not sounding too good so far!

[steve87]

PS....Boston is NOT Vegas....not even close. So I hope you don't base a move on your Vegas visit.

 

Of course I just meant that I met a few Americans out there and you all seem like such loverly people!

[catcountry]

Expensive all around. To rent a place you'd probably get a dump/closet for $1200/1500 a month in the city itself (and I may be being on the low scale as I don't live there). You may be better with a place outside the city then take the train in. Really you should do some research. The internet is a great tool for this stuff. Google rentals and see for yourself. When my daughter and I visit we park on the outskirts and take the train in with a home packed lunch and picnic when we're hungry.

[catcountry]

Of course I just meant that I met a few Americans out there and you all seem like such loverly people!

 

honestly....Americans are different depending on location a larger city may give you a harder/tougher kind of people. Vegas is a tourist location......visitors are catered to. Boston is completely different. Maybe you ought to visit before you decide.

[catcountry]

again....PS lol We are all not bad but we vary by location. The northeast is perhaps a bit faster and tougher than a southern location which is slower and probably more friendly. Just my take/opinion.

[iamkaylee]

Absolutely visit before you decide to move. That way you will get a feel for the city and you can check out apartments and costs in person.

 

A bottled beer in a pub will run you anywhere from $3-$8 US depending on the pub and the town. Expect Guinness to be on the higher end since it's imported here. A meal in a chain place (Applebees type) about $20 US including tip. Higher at a steakhouse or classier place.

 

The US immigration website is http://www.uscis.gov you can find out everything you need to know about different visa's there and even download the forms.

[RedDress]

Come to Canada instead!

 

If you are under 30 years old, UK residents can come to stay, work and travel for up to a year. I know quite a few people who have done the opposite (gone from Canada to the UK) - there's a reciprocal agreement. Maybe it's a Commonwealth thing. From here if you want to visit, it's a short (by our standards) drive to Boston accross the border (5 hours from Montreal, for example - but you need to be able to speak French to move there).

 

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[HeartGoesOn]

The cost of living is high, the winters are harsh, and of course as "Cat" said, living outside of the city is less expensive. Boston is also known for it's prestigious universities, as well as having the best medical and research hospitals in the country.

 

Getting around Boston by automobile is not a walk in the park, and you're better off taking the "T" (MBTA). It's a beautiful city with lots of history, lots to do. and lots of snow in the winter.

[kts]

As a Bostonian I am completely biased!! I love the city and I think it's an amazing place! I've lived abroad twice in my life (England being one of them!) but I still love bean town. I live in a suburb of the city but I love going there for night life. I go to school in Waltham which is about 20 mins with traffic away from the city. I would recommend looking at an apartment in areas on the outside of Boston. Avoid Newbury street and that general area for living but theres great food there!

 

Anything near a college or university is going to be cheaper housing! I know a couple people renting apartments next semester and it's not too expensive.

 

The winter's are cold but last winter we didn't get any snow so this winter should be a pretty heavy one! That being said, the city covered in snow is beautiful! The T will connect you to anywhere and makes things really accesible. In fact theres a T station about five minutes from my campus that can get us into the city in less time the shuttle run by my school!

 

I personally love Boston so much and I cannot wait to move there when I go to grad school but you can private message me if you have anymore questions as I could go on and on about how amazing the city is!!

 

Couple things to do when you visit though are a duck tour, visit newbury street and the north end and also do the freedom trail!

[pl3asehelp]

Expensive all around. Rent, real estate, basic expenses. Also, east coasters are very different from any natives you would have met in Vegas, but the people in Vegas are generally from all over the world so they reflect America as a whole, plus the world. Still pretty different from the Bostonians.

[abitbroken]

Well...its hard to say if the cost of living is high because we don't know the OP's cost of living now.

 

BTW, if you work online, I am sure they won't grant you a work VISA because you don't need to come here to work - you can SKYPE and phone your colleague and exchange info via the internet, especially if this is a business the two of you started. If you work for a large corporation and you are a team, then they would have to prove no one over here already can do your job - that you are that specialized.

 

I would definitely come on a VISA to visit to see if you even like it, but I am doubtful it will be easy to be a permanent resident in your case.

[Donovan79]

Haha, I just moved to London from Boston a year ago after living the prior 10 years in Boston and working for a fairly good company. A few things:

 

* I love the Boston weather. Warm, beautiful summers with plenty of drinking on the water. Lovely falls. I miss the Halloween time of year. Winters are cold as hell, though, so be prepared to spend a lot of time shoveling and falling on your arse on the ice. That got old after awhile.

* Boston people are not exactly great with strangers. In no way an international city, most people there have the same friends they've had since high school, and have little interest in meeting new people. When I first arrived in 2000, moving there from Washington, DC, it took me two years to build up even a small group of friends. That said, if you get a job that supports a visa with a very social company, you can make friends significantly faster. But be prepared for a very sports-oriented, homogenous society.

* I'm not sure it's true but a British friend of mine just came back from two weeks there and said all the girls loved his accent and all the guys were complete jerks, giving him crap about the war. I've never seen this so cannot vouch for his truthiness.

* It's a great little city, with some terrific bars, restaurants and neighborhoods. You can live in a great place with two other professionals in Cambridge or Somerville, which are terrific, and $1000/mo will get you a great room, or $1400 will get you a terrific one-bed. It's also small enough that if you have a car you can quickly be out of the city, and tour the mountains in New Hampshire or Vermont in the autumn, going skiing in the winter, go along the coast or out to Nantucket or Block Island in the summer, all within three hours or so by car.

 

Definitely go spend two weeks there walking around, trying bars, talking to people before you move. If you don't, you've been warned. You may end up liking it though. And American girls do take their clothes off rather quickly for a British accent. Though having been in London for awhile now I have no idea why.

[annam]

I grew up in Vegas and have lived on the east coast so I can offer my perspective for what it's worth. Vegas and the west is more laid back - something about not having to shovel snow seems to keep everyone mellow. It also produces a mellow work force and a less educated population. Half of my friends on the west skipped college versus my friends on the east that all went to 4 year colleges at least.

 

he west is easy to get around in but people are more transient and no real sense of community exists. Plus everything is new so there is no authenticity to it. The east is beautiful - awesome seasonal changes with picture perfect landscapes and 4 distinct times of year. But with the season comes snow - which can really suck. The east has great schools and gorgeous college campuses and amazing store and eateries and local bars - but with that comes the attraction of the ambitious A types that work 60 hours a week to enjoy living in great cities like DC and Boston and NYC.

 

My take is to live comfortable in any major east coast city you have to make above average income to really enjoy the perks. The not so nice parts of Boston or DC or NYC can get really rough. And people on the east are more busy, rushed and not as friendly. You have to remember that everyone in Vegas is on vacation and intoxicated so you aren't getting a good read on people working and living in a real city like Boston. I have lived all over the US and can tell you that Vegas in unlike any other place. I would spend some time in Boston before deciding to move there. It is a great city with tons of history and you are near to so many awesome places to travel and explore.

 

Best of luck to you.