My guide to leaving the UK

[coltr 92]

On 5/4/2019 at 1:18 PM, Zoeeeeeee said:

What do you do, out of curiosity?

I'm a software engineer, specializing in finance and cloud infrastructure. It was one of the reasons why we decided to do things this way around. My husband's job wouldn't translate as easily to the UK, whereas I fortunately tend to be able to find work in most cities.

 

Six Flags is a lot cheaper than Disney. I got a season pass for Six Flags for about $70 I think. I think that Disney runs you into the thousands these days! I have some friends visiting with their little girl this week, so I'm going to go to Disney and Universal for the first time 🙂

 

The time apart is difficult during the K1 stage, but once you have your visa in hand and your flights booked, whatever stress and anxiety you have been through will all be wiped away. You're in the hardest part of the process. The best thing to do is to find a routine when you guys know you can talk every day, and make sure you take time to yourself to relax and slow down. I also try to avoid obsessively checking the forums, looking for worst case scenarios, refreshing the case tracker, otherwise you'll get completely consumed by it! I miss London a lot (except for the commute!), and definitely will be making the most of any time I spend back there. Make sure you make the most of the time you have left in the UK. You guys will be married soon, and it'll be the most amazing feeling in the world, and you'll have a lifetime to spend together.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

10 minutes ago, coltr said:

I also try to avoid obsessively checking the forums, looking for worst case scenarios, refreshing the case tracker, otherwise you'll get completely consumed by it! 

 

Amen to that! 

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

32 minutes ago, coltr said:

I'm a software engineer, specializing in finance and cloud infrastructure. It was one of the reasons why we decided to do things this way around. My husband's job wouldn't translate as easily to the UK, whereas I fortunately tend to be able to find work in most cities.

 

Six Flags is a lot cheaper than Disney. I got a season pass for Six Flags for about $70 I think. I think that Disney runs you into the thousands these days! I have some friends visiting with their little girl this week, so I'm going to go to Disney and Universal for the first time 🙂

 

The time apart is difficult during the K1 stage, but once you have your visa in hand and your flights booked, whatever stress and anxiety you have been through will all be wiped away. You're in the hardest part of the process. The best thing to do is to find a routine when you guys know you can talk every day, and make sure you take time to yourself to relax and slow down. I also try to avoid obsessively checking the forums, looking for worst case scenarios, refreshing the case tracker, otherwise you'll get completely consumed by it! I miss London a lot (except for the commute!), and definitely will be making the most of any time I spend back there. Make sure you make the most of the time you have left in the UK. You guys will be married soon, and it'll be the most amazing feeling in the world, and you'll have a lifetime to spend together.

Same re jobs - I work in Internal Coomunications, which is a role I can do in any company - but my fiancé is a sound designer for video games, so not really many options for him here...

 

Disney has a few season pass options - Herschell has the cheapest one, which can’t be used at the weekends or on major holidays...only cost around $400 though (we went together in April and my one day ticket was well over $100)...

 

My Six Flags pass was around that too, in the Black Friday deal - crazily cheap!

 

We’re pretty lucky actually, as Herschell works in a soundproof office so we’re able to talk every day without fail, generally for an hour or so, without disturbing his colleagues. 

 

And yep, agree on not freaking out re the wait or frantically checking the tracker/calling USCIS...we got our NOA2 in mid-April, but I’m not planning on having my medical until late July or my interview until September, so we’re just awaiting our case number via the eventual embassy letter...

 

Definitely trying to enjoy and soak in everything I can here - walking in the Peak District, going to my favourite restaurants...and spending loads of time with my friends and family, because I know I’ll miss them a lot!

[Mrs. M 55]

@coltr it's a small world, I live in the same town as you haha. My fiancé will be coming from Northern England, hopefully in August, his interview's on 5/24. Your write up was super helpful for us, he and I are starting to make to-do lists like crazy, and there were a few things you listed that we never even thought of. Thanks for the helpful info.

[futurecoloradogrl 82]

Hi! Rather than make a brand new topic, what's the current way to update our address with Student Finance mentioned in the original post? I've Googled but the online guides and URLs seem out of date and I think it's done via Gov.uk now. I'm hoping to move in a couple of months but just want to figure out the process and what documents to have on hand. For my current situation I'm supported by a family member and (at least for the first few months) after moving I'll be supported by my fiance, so won't be eligible to repay but just want to have my details up to date to avoid angry letters or fines. 

 

Is this the correct place to start? I don't want to click through any of the options declaring that I don't currently live in the UK (since I am in the UK for now) and possibly have incorrect info recorded on my account.

https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/update-your-employment-details

 

Thanks for any advice! 

[coltr 92]

2 minutes ago, futurecoloradogrl said:

Hi! Rather than make a brand new topic, what's the current way to update our address with Student Finance mentioned in the original post? I've Googled but the online guides and URLs seem out of date and I think it's done via Gov.uk now. I'm hoping to move in a couple of months but just want to figure out the process and what documents to have on hand. For my current situation I'm supported by a family member and (at least for the first few months) after moving I'll be supported by my fiance, so won't be eligible to repay but just want to have my details up to date to avoid angry letters or fines. 

 

Is this the correct place to start? I don't want to click through any of the options declaring that I don't currently live in the UK (since I am in the UK for now) and possibly have incorrect info recorded on my account.

https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/update-your-employment-details

 

Thanks for any advice! 

Hey,

 

Log in to your account here: https://secure.studentloanrepayment.co.uk/ then on the left select 'update my details'. From here you can enter a new address and contact telephone number.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

[seb-liz 38]

On 5/3/2019 at 12:13 AM, coltr said:

I thought I would share some of the finer details of my experience of establishing my life here in the US. These steps may or may not be appropriate for you depending on your circumstances (or location in the US), so your mileage may vary, but you might find some parts of this brain dump helpful! For example, I'm based in Los Angeles, so you will likely not have the same health insurance providers nearby where you live. We're planning to buy a house in the next couple of years, so was keen to build my credit as soon as possible so that we could be joint applicants on the mortgage. This may not be something you care too much about, so you may just want to get on your other half's account and leave it at that.

 

I'm the kind of person who busies myself with admin, paperwork and DIY when I'm not working, hence the huge list! I'm also happy to share guides on how health insurance, banking, credit, employment, taxes, etc. work in the US from the perspective of someone who has been used to the system in the UK if that would be helpful. I had to piece together this information for myself, and put it all into context, so I'm happy to spare you guys the legwork.

 

Before leaving the UK

1. Way before receiving my visa, I applied for Global Entry. I was able to beep straight into the US through a computer and skip all the customs and immigration lines each time I visited, without talking to anyone or filling out a landing card. It was absolutely amazing and I highly recommend it if you're going to be visiting regularly as a tourist! Note I applied for this before I even met my fiancé, so at the time I was visiting the US regularly for conferences. I'm not sure whether being a K1 applicant would come up during the process and affect anything, so YMMV. I recently asked at an enrollment centre whether this would work with my green card when I receive it, and they said I just need to show up to an enrollment centre and they will add it to my passport for me.
2. Switched my accounts to Monzo Bank. You need to use your UK address to do this. Really simple 24/7 support through the app.
3. On a previous visit as a tourist, I walked into Bank of America and opened a checking account with my passport. This apparently helped, as when I applied for my first credit card in the US, they were able to verify my identity using this account (see my point on this later).
4. Switched my Vodafone plan to one that I can use abroad, then diverted my UK number to a Skype number, so that I can still receive UK calls.
5. Redirected my mail via Royal Mail to my parents' address. I've also used UK Post Box before who will scan and forward mail for you (they're amazing) in case family isn't an option.
6. Completed a P85 online to stop paying UK tax.
7. Registered for a postal vote online through the UK government website.
8. Informed the Student Loans Company that I'm moving abroad.
9. Let the council know that I'm leaving.

 

After leaving the UK

1. Arrived in Los Angeles at LAX. We drove to Vegas at the weekend to get married in a chapel, and they were able to give me the marriage certificate on the same day (Vegas lives up to its name in being very efficient for weddings!). We'll be renewing our vows in a big ceremony with friends and family back in the UK next year.
2. Visited the Social Security Office with an application form, print-out of my I-94 and passport to apply for a SSN. This took 2 weeks.
3. Filed for AOS.
4. Cancelled my UK annual travel insurance - it no longer works now that I'm not coming back.
5. Called the American Express Global Transfer Team and asked to open an Amex Platinum. They said I failed based on my US credit, but because I had a UK American Express card they were able to approve me on that basis. I passed identity verification based on them being able to find my Bank of America account. This helped me to immediately establish credit in the US, and comes with a load of travel benefits (if you're into that sort of thing). You need to have had an Amex in another country for 3 months to be eligible for this.
6. Closed my Bank of America account now that I have a social security number, and opened a joint account with Schwab with my husband, who allow free international use, and refund all ATM fees (even the $30 fees in casinos and nightclubs!). Something you have to get used to in the US is that normally if you don't use an ATM belonging to your bank, you'll have to pay fees to withdraw cash.
7. Transferred my money across from my Monzo account in the UK using TransferWise. I switch my GBP into USD through the TransferWise app, then send it as an ACH payment, rather than using a wire transfer (which costs more).
8. Switched my iTunes account to the US App Store.
9. Installed Venmo on my iPhone. Venmo or Zelle is how pretty much everyone splits bills and pays each other for things out here in the US.
10. Applied for a joint savings account with Ally Bank (for saving towards the deposit on a house). Will also be useful for our eventual green card interview.
11. Set up a T-Mobile SIM-only contract at Costco. Costco waived all of the activation fees, gave me a $50 voucher and free Netflix. I passed the credit search for this despite not having anything on my credit file. Now I have two forms of proof of address in my name; my bank statement and phone bill. Note that pre-paid contracts do not give you bills, so you won't get proof of address if you decide to go down this route instead. Main reason I chose T-Mobile is that they're one of the few networks out here who have decent plans for use overseas... also free Netflix!
12. Tried to get on my husband's health insurance, but they wanted to charge over $500 / mo in premiums to do this for a mid-tier plan. To bridge the gap until I'm employed out here, I applied for Kaiser Permanente directly through their website. I got their top plan for about $400 / mo, and have been happy with it.
13. Set up USPS Informed Delivery on our address, so we can see a scan of any mail coming in before it arrives. Good so that you don't miss any of those important USCIS appointment letters!

Thank you so much for this! It's an absolute godsend that I'm sure I'll be checking back on once I finally get my K1 in hand. Just a quick question regarding health insurance. While I know medical costs in the US are absurd and I'd be taking a risk not getting it, is health insurance mandatory? I can't really justify 400-500/mo on top of rent payments, phone plans, etc. I know some things have changed recently with the Affordable Care Act so was just curious. Thanks again for the amazingly detailed guide

 

[futurecoloradogrl 82]

11 minutes ago, coltr said:

Hey,

 

Log in to your account here: https://secure.studentloanrepayment.co.uk/ then on the left select 'update my details'. From here you can enter a new address and contact telephone number.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

Thanks so much for this! Looks like it should be easy to update.

 

I assume once I move I'll then update the address, and they'll use the new address to get in touch with any info they need (letter declaring support from my fiance, most likely). 

[coltr 92]

Just now, futurecoloradogrl said:

Thanks so much for this! Looks like it should be easy to update.

 

I assume once I move I'll then update the address, and they'll use the new address to get in touch with any info they need (letter declaring support from my fiance, most likely). 

Yep exactly! I've been receiving all of my mail from SLC without any issues out here. You can also view all of your correspondence online too, so I often spot mail before I actually receive it.