Offer to relocate to Houston, should I go ?

[speedysteve]

It appears there are 2 organisations which could provide the documentation I need..

1/ UK ( which by definition means England Scotland Wales & Northern Ireland )

acpo.police.uk/NationalPolicing/ACROCriminalRecordsOffice/

This is a comprehensive complete historical check which should pick up everything throughout life however the legal system in Scotland is at least partially seperate from the rest of the UK and the ACPO application specifically asks if the application is being made fom Scotland which to me infers that they will have to contact an external data source..

2/ Scotland specific

disclosurescotland.co.uk/what-is-disclosure/]What

This site only deals with Scotland and is set up for employment and working with "at risk" groups such as children however I can apply for a "basic" disclosure which I suspect will not register anything as the conviction is "spent" under UK law due to the extensive amount of time since offence.

Quote from website :_ “Anyone can apply for a basic disclosure in their own name. This might be requested for a new job, volunteer work or to support a visa application.”

The immigration lawyer I am dealing with in the US does not appear to have a clue and is basically saying do whatever I think is the correct one ???????

I guess the question is would the "Disclosures Scotland" document cary sufficient weight with the consulate member I will be interviewed by in London, England as this is the only US consulate that can issue visas in the UK

Id really appreciate any help anyone can give me as this situation could really mess up my life..

SS

[twostep]

Have you contacted the consulate?

[Davis1]

you use APCO

[speedysteve]

are you absolutely certain about ACPO ?

[Davis1]

I am alway right
If in doubt get a better lawyer

[speedysteve]

Thought Id update the site and let all know about progress

Sure enought the ACPO is the only acceptable document
I had my consulate interview in London last month, all went well fairly painless experience and both the consular officer and the brit who took my documents before meeting them were totally professional and pleasant.

Dont listen to the other forum postings that suggests its all doom and gloom and that they are unpleasant, simply not the case.

Anyway by the time I made it to interview I hade a pile of ducumentation from my US attourneys at least an inch thick multiple coppies of various L1-A related documentation, character references etc.....

Consulate were not interested in any of it really and took 3 coppies of 3 critical forms and didnt even look at the rest, it pretty much came down to a 10 min interview with the consulate officer who asked obvious questions about why I was needed by the company , what I would be doing , how long I intended to stay and of course about my history... it wasnt an intense grilling or anything just legitimate questions to which I answered as short and directly as possible.

At the end of it I was told that the waiver i required had to be granted by the DHS which could take up to 14-16 weeks and that they would recommend granting of the waiver.

I take this as a positive outcome and am now waiting and hopeing it all works out.. obviously the company are not chuffed about this potential 4 month wait but there really is nothing I can do about it.

Assuming Im lucky and I do eventually get the visa, I now have another question, whats the best way to deal with cash savings that I currently have in the UK ? do I transfer them to an offshore account ? to a US bank or leave them in the UK ?most are in instant access accounts at the moment but what about existing ISA'S ? can they be left or do I lose the right to have them when I move ?
Ive noticed in general interest rates in the US are even worse than the UK does it make mores sence just to leave the cash here and transfer chunks over when I need it ?

SS

[twostep]

First of all - thank you for the update. Having all your ducks in a row is generally a good idea.
Interest rates are pathetic at best. Some of the Brits will be able to give you information about ISAs. You can sk me aout the US side.
You can carry cash over and deposit it for immediate needs. I have heard a lot about folks using ATMs to get EU cash which they immediately deposit in US accounts.

[Bevdeforges]

You can leave your UK funds where they are and decide what you want to do with them after you're settled in. Once you're in the US, you'll be subject to the US tax system (which is based on worldwide income) and you'll be expected to disclose all your "foreign" (to the US) accounts annually as part of your income tax declarations.

Putting funds into offshore accounts is just a big old red flag to the IRS. Leave 'em where they currently are and just report them as required until you decide to what extent you need or want to transfer them to the US.
Cheers,
Bev

[speedysteve]

well im now at the end of week 8 since visa interview, and the wait is killing me.........
Does anyone have personal experience or any idea how long a responce from the DHS for a "waiver of inelligabiliy" is really likely to take ? the immigration officer at the interview did advise up to 14-16 weeks but is it really likely to take as long as that ?
Needles to say my employer is becomming somewhat anxious....
Glossing over the fact that I dont have a visa yet... is buying a house in Houston a good idea or is renting a better option ? the housing market looks very different to the UK i.e. property is just as likely to fall in value as rise so its certainly not a safe investment... I intend to stay for the full 3 years of my visa, it just seems like a lot of money to blow on rent for nothing to show at the end... i take it getting a mortgage wont be possible until I have built a credit rating which is probably gonna take 3 - 6 months minimum. ?

[twostep]

Originally Posted by speedysteve

well im now at the end of week 8 since visa interview, and the wait is killing me.........
Does anyone have personal experience or any idea how long a responce from the DHS for a "waiver of inelligabiliy" is really likely to take ? the immigration officer at the interview did advise up to 14-16 weeks but is it really likely to take as long as that ?
Needles to say my employer is becomming somewhat anxious....
Glossing over the fact that I dont have a visa yet... is buying a house in Houston a good idea or is renting a better option ? the housing market looks very different to the UK i.e. property is just as likely to fall in value as rise so its certainly not a safe investment... I intend to stay for the full 3 years of my visa, it just seems like a lot of money to blow on rent for nothing to show at the end... i take it getting a mortgage wont be possible until I have built a credit rating which is probably gonna take 3 - 6 months minimum. ?

Slow down a shake:>)
Get your visa, move to Houston, get a suite in an extended stay hotel for a couple of weeks and explore your surroundings.
Rent versus mortgage - you can leave a rental, do not need to deal with repairs, maintenance, yard. Will you be financially able to carry a mortgage until you sell a house and may not be in country?