Moving to America from the UK: The Ultimate Guide

I just did it! I successfully moved across the pond! It wasn’t an easy process moving to America from the UK – it involved tons of paperwork, legal fees and sleepless nights about packing up my life’s belongings, but I did it.

As a warning, even if you have wanted to pursue the American Dream for your entire life, the day will come and you will start to get cold feet.

You’ll feel anxious, worried, stressed and find yourself wondering if you should just haul up in a cottage in the Lake District somewhere for the rest of your days. And when you arrive in America there’ll be that sense of homesickness for the first couple of days.

But trust me, those feelings will fade and after you’ve settled in, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it earlier.

There are so many things to think about when moving from the UK to the US, so I’ve put together my top tips. This isn’t some shitty guide written by a removal company or an immigration site, this is a real guide, written by a real person who moved from one country to another. So here are my pearls of wisdom for moving to America from the UK:

How to move to America from the UK

Firstly, you’re going to need your visa. There are loads of different visas which would be too complicated to discuss here but it’s important to research all your options. There are family visas, student visas, work visas…it will all depend on your purpose of travel and what you do for a living.

Even if you think that moving to the US seems impossible, talking to an immigration lawyer might help you see what options are available to you. I thought about applying for a visa myself without a lawyer but I’m so glad I didn’t. Definitely cough up the money for a lawyer.

It’s not cheap but you really need someone who knows what they’re doing. They know the kind of language the USCIS likes to use and they will make sure that your application is as robust as possible. I used James Hollis, who has moved firms and now works at Mooers.net – I get quite a lot of people asking for info about visas so if you’d like more info, contact me and I’ll shoot you his email. He was recommended to me by blogger friends and I was happy with his service.

I applied for the O-1 non immigrant visa, which is for those who possess extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry. In total it cost around $5000 in legal fees. I first contacted my lawyer in February and I had my visa in my hand at the beginning of November. I had an RFE (request for more evidence) so things took slightly longer but all in all it wasn’t too long to wait.

Shipping bags from the UK to the US

Once you’ve got your visa and you’re ready to move, it’s time to ship your household stuff from the UK to the US. Packing up your whole world is difficult enough when you’re moving down the street, yet alone moving half way across the world.

Firstly, purchase some packing boxes. Next, purchase some vacuum storage bags. Seriously, these will change your life. I had to fit a duvet, four pillows, 2 cushions, bedsheets and a pile of clothes into one box and the only way to do it was by using these miracle bags. You pop everything inside the bag, put the nozzle of your vacuum cleaner over the hole and watch as your stuff shrinks into this little tiny cube.

At first I was a bit worried about it damaging my stuff but I’m happy to report that when I opened the bags again, everything returned to its normal size and shape. It’s honestly magic. You can buy the bags at Ikea for £2 or from your local pound shop, or online at Amazon and Argos.

As you pack everything into boxes, make sure that you take an inventory, as you’ll have to declare everything on the customs forms before you ship it. If you have a lot of stuff then you’ll probably want to ship it via sea (which can take weeks or months to arrive) but if you’re travelling light then it’s best to air ship it with a company like Uni Baggage. I shipped a large 25kg box with them from the UK to the US and it cost me a total of £100 for door to door service. The box arrived before I did!

Setting up a bank account

When you get to the US you’ll need a bank account with a US zip code and address. Even something as simple as ordering furniture from Ikea requires a US billing address. To save time and hassle, you can set up a US bank account before you go, then simply tell them your new address when you arrive.

I set up my overseas bank account with HSBC as they have a presence within the UK and also the US. They’ll allow you to open a US bank account within the UK and they’ll mail your new debit card and all your info to your UK address.

In order to open the account, I needed to open a HSBC UK account and then once I’d been approved for that account, they allowed me to set up a telephone appointment with the International Banking Team. It took around 30 minutes on the phone, then I had to pop back into the branch with some documents for verification. Need some financial assistance before your big move to the USA? BadCreditsite.co.uk offer loans for all credit types in as little as 15 minutes.

Transferring money into your new US account

So you’ve opened your new U.S bank account but there’s one issue, there’s no money in it. If you want to transfer money from a UK bank account to your US account it can be expensive, so to avoid transaction fees, I use Transferwise. Transferwise charge much less than the banks when sending money abroad. Sending £1000 to a US account currently costs around £4.78 GBP in fees and is converted at the fairest exchange rates. Here’s the link to sign up: https://transferwise.com/register

Getting a cheap cell phone plan

In the UK I was paying £16 per month with Three for a plan that included 12GB of data and free roaming to loads of countries throughout the world. Here in the US, you can expect a normal plan with one of the main carriers to set you back around $70-$80 per month and that’s WITHOUT a new phone! Just SIM only. There’s no doubt about it, mobile phone plans are much more expensive in the USA and most of the contracts will require a credit check.

If you don’t have a credit footprint in the US, this can be tricky, which is why its best to stick with a prepaid plan for the first few months. T-mobile offers a prepaid plan for around $50 per month with 10GB of data but I opted for a plan with MetroPCS (which piggy backs on T-mobile network) that is $50 per month for unlimited data. I walked into a store and it took about 5 minutes to get everything up and running. So far so good and the Internet is always fast, so I’m pretty happy about that.

If you don’t need unlimited data an want the cheapest possible plan available, I would highly recommend trying MintSIM which offers cheap prices for paying in bulk up front. 6 months with unlimited data is currently $180 total ($30 per month) or you can pay $300 for a year, which works out at $25 per month. If you’re hesitant about whether it will work then you can order a starter kit on Amazon for $5 and they’ll even credit you the money back if you choose to purchase a full plan.

Once you’ve built your credit score, you can transfer your number and upgrade to a network with a proper plan. The major networks are T-mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. If you’re planning to travel back and forth to the UK then T-mobile is probably your best bet, since their contracts include data roaming abroad. Admittedly it’s 2G but it’s certainly better than nothing.

Getting your Social Security Number

If you’re eligible for your Social Security Number then it’s best to head down to your nearest Social Security Office as soon as you get to the US. They recommend waiting around 2 weeks from your arrival in the US but I went down the next morning and got my SSN without any problem. I arrived just before they closed and there was no line, so I was in and out within about 15 minutes. I took my passport and my work visa and was handed a form to fill out when I arrived. The number was delivered to my address within 10 days.

Healthcare in the US

If you’ve been sponsored by a company then it’s likely you’ll have healthcare as part of your job package.

If you don’t have healthcare through your employer, then you’ll need to have some sort of health insurance. Medical costs are VERY expensive in the US and you don’t want to find yourself sick or injured with no cover…it could prove to be a costly mistake.

Here’s the thing though…if you’re on a temporary work visa (mine is for 3 years with multiple entries), you’re not yet a permanent US resident.

In this case, you sort of slip through the cracks. Luckily I found a company called SafetyWing, which offers travel medical insurance including travel in the US for $68/4 weeks. It’s subscription based, so unless you set an end date, it will keep automatically extending every four weeks until you cancel. It’s cheap and the deductible is also low – just $250.

SafetyWing covers things like hospital care, intensive care, ambulances, urgent care, psychical therapy and chiropractic care and emergency dental.

It’s not a replacement for comprehensive health insurance, so notable exclusions include high risk sports activity, pre-existing disease or injury and cancer treatment. Always make sure you read the policy in full.

Still, it’s a great option for digital nomads and self-employed people who may be in the US only temporarily – definitely check it out.

If you’re in the US permanently, then you’ll definitely want to look into health insurance plans. Look on your state’s healthcare marketplace to compare plans and find the right insurance policy for you. Be warned though, it’s expensive. For basic cover it’ll probably set you back $400-$500 per month. If your income is low though, you may be able to qualify for medicare or financial assistance.

Building credit in the US

The most difficult part about being a newbie to the US is not having credit. You may have built up a juicy credit score in the UK but it means absolutely nothing over here. The credit scoring systems are totally separate. Credit is important because you need it for things like renting apartments, getting a phone bill and leasing a car.

Luckily, you do have options. With www.creditstacks.com you can apply for a US-based MasterCard credit card designed exclusively for relocating professionals. It’s based on your potential, not your credit history and best of all you can apply without a SSN¹.

If you’ve been living in the UK you won’t have a Social Security Number and you can’t apply for one until you arrive, which can take weeks to arrive in the mail. Without a SSN, no US credit…until now. With CreditStacks the application process can be started up to 60 days before your planned start date at your new job, so you can hit the ground running and build up credit straight away when you arrive. Best of all with CreditStacks the credit limits are high, interest rates are low, there are no annual fees² and zero international transaction fees.

The CreditStacks app will also help you manage your payments by reminding you to pay on time, or better yet, schedule auto payments
to make sure you build your credit score.

I hadn’t heard of CreditStacks when I came to the US but I did utilize another little secret. American Express offers a global card transfer service, so if you have an American Express credit card in the UK, they’ll hopefully be able to open a card for you in the US, even if you don’t have a credit history in the US.

In the UK I had both the British Airways American Express and the Preferred Rewards Gold credit card and I had built up a good credit profile with them. So as soon as I got my Social Security Number and my US address, I called up to see about opening a Gold Delta Skymiles Credit Card. Upon applying for the new card I just needed to quote my existing UK account number and the global transfer team were able to pull up my UK credit file. Once I had completed the application over the phone, I was instantly approved and the credit card arrived in the mail a couple of days later.

The US is known for its travel rewards credit cards and large sign up bonuses, so if you’re going to get a credit card I would definitely recommend choosing an airline card. Many of the cards will include perks such as a free checked bag, which will save you money on baggage fees when flying throughout the year. I was approved for the Gold Delta Skymiles card and I use it all the time.

If you don’t get a card with American Express or CreditStacks, you could also sign up for a credit builder card with a small limit, then use it for daily spending and pay it off in full every month. The sooner you do this, the quicker you’ll build up a credit score in the US.

Credit is really essential if you plan on renting an apartment, leasing a car and even getting a cell phone contract.

Finding a place to live in the US

In NYC and many US cities, apartment buildings require you to prove that you earn 40x the rent and have an excellent credit score. Of course, if you’ve never lived in the US before, this will be difficult to prove. You really have two options – get a guarantor (someone who is a US resident who makes around 80x the rent and will sign for you) or sublet. If you can’t get a guarantor, you may also be able to negotiate by paying for a full year of rent up front, or you could try a company called Insurent.

I went with the subletting option, so I looked on sites like Spare Room and Craigslist, and I also signed up for Facebook groups such as Gypsy Housing. Seriously, Facebook is where you will find all the best rooms and deals. There are lots of people out there who are moving and need someone to sublet for the remaining term of their lease. Just make sure you always ask if it’s a sublet so you don’t waste your time and then find out you’re required to sign a lease.

Download local apps

I’m going to tell you now, the most popular app in the US at the moment is Venmo. Everyone is using it to pay each other. You will go out for dinner with your friends and someone will say “I’ll pay, just Venmo me later”. The reason it is so popular is that banks in the USA actually charge fees for wire transfers, whereas with Venmo there are no transaction fees and it’s completely free to use (unless you’re paying with a credit card, then it’s charged at 3%).

So there you have it, everything you need to know about starting your new life in America. If you’re not going to be using your UK bank accounts, remember to cancel old UK direct debits or change your subscriptions to your new US addresses/cards. The last thing you want is your direct debit payments bouncing.

It’s a scary thing moving country and at times it can feel daunting. The UK and the US are similar in many ways but there are also cultural differences that will become very apparent. However, it’s it’s an incredible opportunity to have a new adventure and if you follow these tips it should make life a little easier.

¹SSN is required within 60 days of card activation. Card can only be activated from within the US. Applicants who have been living in the US for one year or more must provide SSN at time of application and undergo a credit check.

²Review the CreditStacks cardholder agreement and fee schedule.