Advice on moving to the US, Dallas-Texas to be precise

[coolshawn2fine]

Hi everyone, please i would like advice on how to go about moving and living in the US permanently. I am a UK citizen currently living in the UK with no friend or family ties to the US and thinking of buying a residential propety (to live in) and one or two condo apartments (to rent out) in Dallas. I am aware that as a UK citizen, i can only stay in the US for six months under the visa-waiver programme but i want to know how possible it is to buy and whats involved and if registering/declaring my condo apartments as a rental business and paying taxes on them would qualify me for some sort of permanent/temporary residency.

[Bevdeforges]

Be careful - the US visa waiver program is only good for 90 days at a time, not six months. There is a business related visa (can't recall the exact designation) that will allow you to stay for up to six months at a time - but they won't let you use it to spend six months in the US and six months elsewhere over the long haul. (I.e. you can be stopped and questioned if you have, for example, two six-months stays in an 18 month period because it indicates you are spending a majority of your time in the US.)

Buying property is not a problem in the US (though rental property is considered "passive" income for tax purposes - which means they don't consider it an "employment" as such). What can be a problem is getting a mortgage. If you have the cash to make a large down payment, things go considerably easier, but to qualify as an "investor" you have to make a very significant investment and you may have to prove that you have experience in property management or whatever your company will be handling.

The US Embassy/Consulate in London has a very good website that links to all the information on visa terms and conditions. But it's getting harder and harder to qualify for a visa unless you have family ties or an employer to sponsor you.

[coolshawn2fine]

Thanks Bevdeforges, your advice has been most helpful and i will think very hard about the points you have raised and decide on my next course of action. Much appreciated.