An immigrant's tale

The phone rings, I answer it.
"Hi, this is Dave calling from Coventry in England. We want to buy a house in Orlando. We're moving over, can you help?"
"Of course I can" I reply. "Which area do you want?"
"Well ,anywhere really, it's all nice" Oh dear, my heart sinks.
"Where will your job be?" I ask.
"We'll sort out jobs once we're settled, so it doesn't matter where we buy" says poor Dave.
"If you don't have a job, how have you managed to get a visa?" I ask.
"What visa?"
This conversation happens all too frequently. Since Britain (UK) joined the European Union back in the 70's and the borders opened, any member of the EU can work and live in any member state. Add Canada, Australia and New Zealand to the list and you can understand how Brits think that emigration is just a case finding somewhere to live and moving there.
My heart goes out to them. For some it's just the post-vacation honeymoon period. Many return to work and normal lives with a heavy heart, but recover quickly once their routine starts again. For others it doesn't happen. I was one of them.
I first landed on American soil in 1986 and as my feet touched the ground I felt like I had come home. Don't know why, can't explain it, just did. So started a long and difficult battle to move from England to the USA which I shall be telling over the coming weeks in the hope that it offers information to those that need it and hope to some that are travelling that path.

Relocation

Having to relocate? It's something I've done many times in my life (see profile for a few instances) and have picked up some pointers. You may already know which city you are moving to, either because of work or personal preference, but deciding on the particular area can be difficult.
Accessability to work (especially with the current gas prices) is a priority, but then so is safety, affordability and the social scene. Making friends and getting to know people is as important as having the right job if you are going to have a successful move. A supportive network will help you while you are becoming established and settling in to a new area.
With or without children, aim for areas with good schools. In nearly every case the school grade will reflect the area. Properties may be more expensive but are always popular with parents who want to live in that catchment area so are a better investment. There are lots of websites available that give this information and have helped me enormously when moving to a completely unknown area.