Moving to London Need Help!!!
 

I'm in need of some information. I am an American currently residing in New York, but planning to move to the UK this year to be with my boyfriend who is a British citizen. Do "yall" know of any resources I could use for job hunting (I'm in the energy business here..i.e. something like British Gas) or any advice you could give me about companies willing to hire someone from abroad. In addition, any websites that have this sort of information would be great as well...Cheers!!!!

Sorry to sound a bit negative, but to put realism into your situation, if you are a US citizen, living with your British boyfriend doesn't give you any right to work in the UK without work permit, and that is very hard to get. Only way you get the right to work is if you are to marry him, and to do that properly you need to get a fiancee's visa from British Consulate and be married within 6 months of arriving in UK, and then apply for a leave to remain as a spouse. AS for work permit, you need first to be sponsored by a company who need to satisfy the authorities that you are applying for a job for which no qualified EC worker is available. I don't know anuthing about the energy business, but I'd have thought your chance isn't very good unless you have exceptional skills not readily available in Europe.

top of the mornin'...

Wonder if Mickey is a guy? Then HE wouldn't be able to get married, would he.<BR>Just a thought. = )

If either of your parents are Canadian or Australian or of Commonwealth nation descent and your grandparents are of British orgin, you might qualify for a temporary work visa under a special heritage program....otherwise, it is next to impossible...trust me, I know.

Another regular poster, Beth, has been making efforts to relocate & find work in London. Or maybe she's already found a job? Last time that I'd seen an update on her adventures, it was about a month ago. Beth is a "woohoo" gal (as per her e-mail) and she's got lots of info she may be willing to share with you. If you hunt around this site, you'll spot her e-mail.

yup, BA checking in.<BR><BR>I am in Scotland this very min, heading to London in the AM. If you email me, I will send you whatever I have (may come in fits and starts, AND take a while as I am here for at least ten more days..)<BR><BR>to anyone else who may have emailed me in the past 7 days - if you do not hear back from me, please email me again. hotmail has the charming habit of deleting emails if you get overlimit (as well as blocking new mails, I see now...)<BR><BR>Beth

Alec,<BR><BR>Thanks for the information. I'm aware living with my boyfriend doesn't give me ANY rights to work in the UK. I contacted an immigration lawyer and they've assured me it's much easier to get a Work visa than a Fiancee visa. I had an interview in London last month and things went well to say the least. Actually, I do have a lot of experience in the energy business. It seems what I do specifically is relatively new to the UK, so I think my chances are good. But thanks for your input.

Mary,<BR><BR>No, Mickey isn't a guy, it's short for MICHELLE just FYI........

If any of your grandparents were from Ireland, you can get Irish dual citizenship and then work in the UK.

Kate,<BR><BR>Thanks for the tip. Actually my Grandfather was of Irish descent, and I know for a fact my Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother were born in near the county of Cork. I'm afraid my Grandfather was born in the U.S though. Does having great grandparents that were born in Ireland help me in any way?

Check out www.workpermit.com (formerly BCL Immigration). I've used them twice for getting permits here (London), and they get you around all the hassle of having to advertise the position, etc.<BR><BR>It's not that big a deal to work here at all, as long as you have the job offer at a certain level. They've streamlined the process a good deal over the last year as well... last one came in in just a few weeks.<BR><BR>Two bits of advice acquired during ten years of working internationally on permits: 1) use a service or lawyer- it seems they always 'know the right person to call' in Immigration Offices, 2) be prepared for hiring companies (esp. HR people) to assume there is a lot of work required. BCL can give you a detailed list of what they will actually need to do.<BR><BR>Good luck with the search and the move!<BR><BR>M

For the Irish passport, one of your grandparents must have been born in Ireland. Great-grandparents don't count.<BR><BR>You may want to contact another immigration attorneys. Fiance visas are much easier to get than work visas, as long as the relationship's legit (not to imply yours isn't. Just explaining). The fiance visa process for an American is pretty straightforward. They tend to be really rough on people trying to come from countries in Africa, for example.<BR><BR>Another option is if you're a recent college graduate. There are some programs where you can get a visa for a year or two. Try www.bunac.co.uk or www.bunac.com. I'm not sure what comes after the dot.<BR><BR>I would not go over there unless I had a visa secured. If you decide to work illegally, and are caught, you may be banned from returning to the UK for life. Lots of money and a good lawyer could probably get you back in, but it's a hassle that no one really needs.<BR><BR>Good luck.

Or, since you work for an energy company, perhaps you can do just like Enron, pay off Bush, Blair, all the MPs, Senators, and Congressmen, and get a work permit....

For jobs, try <BR><BR>monster.co.uk<BR>stepjobs.com<BR>