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| I mean... who wouldn't want to move here with pictures like this? |
So, if any of you find yourselves in this same predicament, let me see if I can help you out. Know that each country has very specific rules and guidelines, but hopefully this will give you a little more direction than I had.
Let's just start with this:
For real. I have never felt more stressed out filling a document out than I did when we were for filling out our visa Scotland. The wounds are still fresh. The top priority is to know what kind of visa you qualify for. Are you visiting? Are you there long-term or short-term? Are you sponsored by an academic institution or an employer? Are you a dependent of a student?
In my situation, my husband is going to school and he qualifies for a study visa. Since Ihave want to work when I'm over there, I need to apply for a Tier 4 visa. But WAIT, there's more. It's not just a Tier 4 visa, but it's general Tier 4 student visa. Basically what that means is that I'm accompanying my husband, who has been accepted into a program. That makes it easier for me to get approved, at least from what I can tell. If not, we're doomed. Kidding (I think).
You still have to prove that you can live there. Because we are from the United States, we are waived from presenting a lot of different documentations. Other countries have to show that they have £13,000 (about $16,700) in your checking account, or have hand written letters from your parents that will be supporting you. Then you have to also make sure you have enough merits or credits to live there. Justin had 30 (you need a total of 40) just by receiving a full ride his first year there. As far as I can tell, I don't have any merits, but hopefully it work out.
Also, visas to Scotland aren't cheap. To come into the U.S., it can cost about $200, whereas to get into Brazil, it'll be about $160. Fair enough, fees are fees. But Scotland — or the U.K. as a whole, from what I'm gathering — is $450! Now I don't know if this is a yearly fee or what, but I wasn't prepared to drop that much. So before you decide to move somewhere, find out how much you will be spending up front so you aren't taken aback.
This is pretty much a good thing from what I understand. The National Health Service is essentially health care that is provided by the government through taxes. And everyone gets it. It's a very different system than here in America. Everyone has different feelings on what health care should look like, and there are upsides and downsides to each. Here, insurance is expensive, and still doesn't cover a lot of different procedures. I have definitely avoided going to the doctor for things, just so I don't get a bill in the mail later.
In the U.K., you are apart of the NHS automatically. You don't get a bill in the mail — ever. Seems like a dream come true. Now, of course, I've read that there are waiting lists for waiting lists. You can't just walk in and get an appointment. When you do finally get an appointment, I've heard the care isn't quite as great. Maybe that's true, maybe it's not. I might have to blog about it later when I have a first-hand experience.
Either way, be prepared to pay that fee upfront. It doesn't cost much ($300/person for the year) but again, it's paired with your visa fee.
This has been harder than I'd like. I also haven't had to put in a lot of effort on this since my mother-in-law loves looking at places. But they definitely do it a little different in Scotland.
My mother-in-law has been scouring apartments for months (looking at prices, number of bedrooms, the distance from my husband's school, the distance from grocery stores, and so forth. She's been diligent.) and has a good feel of some good areas, and of course, how much you'll pay.
When you're moving like we are — with the intent of moving back to the U.S. — it seems like finding a furnished apartment is ideal. But, with furnishings comes a higher price. It's not cheap to have someone provide you with everything you need.
On top of that, I read a really interesting fact that most American homes are 2,300 sq. ft. In Scotland? 883 sq. ft. Wow. I knew I'd have to tone down my expectations of what a "good apartment" was, but it seems like your place will be small at best. I've been wanting a two bedroom for when visitors come, but it's seeming less and less likely that I'll find one in my price range. Sigh.
Also, it turns out, landlords want you to physically see the apartment in person before you sign your lease on the day you move in. I guess they don't want to be scammed. I mean... we probably do seem sketchy from their point of view. Seems reasonably and common practice, but for us, we can't make a separate jaunt over there to solely look at potential homes. So how does one secure a living space before they move? From what I can find: you can't. Now we might be looking at renting an Airbnb or something similar for a while until we can find a place of our own. Not what we were hoping for, but I'm not sure what else people do!
This, my friends, is a special fee that is added to your house/apartment. We had been seeing it on all the listings (This property is in Council Tax Band B) and had no clue what that meant. Some type of zoning limits? Nope. It's essentially a fee you have to pay for water and sewer. And it's not cheap. If you're in band A, you'll pay a little over £1,000 for the year. But if you've found yourself living in band H? Be prepared to spend £3,100 over the course of a year.
Visas
Let's just start with this:
In my situation, my husband is going to school and he qualifies for a study visa. Since I
You still have to prove that you can live there. Because we are from the United States, we are waived from presenting a lot of different documentations. Other countries have to show that they have £13,000 (about $16,700) in your checking account, or have hand written letters from your parents that will be supporting you. Then you have to also make sure you have enough merits or credits to live there. Justin had 30 (you need a total of 40) just by receiving a full ride his first year there. As far as I can tell, I don't have any merits, but hopefully it work out.
Also, visas to Scotland aren't cheap. To come into the U.S., it can cost about $200, whereas to get into Brazil, it'll be about $160. Fair enough, fees are fees. But Scotland — or the U.K. as a whole, from what I'm gathering — is $450! Now I don't know if this is a yearly fee or what, but I wasn't prepared to drop that much. So before you decide to move somewhere, find out how much you will be spending up front so you aren't taken aback.
Health Care
This is pretty much a good thing from what I understand. The National Health Service is essentially health care that is provided by the government through taxes. And everyone gets it. It's a very different system than here in America. Everyone has different feelings on what health care should look like, and there are upsides and downsides to each. Here, insurance is expensive, and still doesn't cover a lot of different procedures. I have definitely avoided going to the doctor for things, just so I don't get a bill in the mail later.
In the U.K., you are apart of the NHS automatically. You don't get a bill in the mail — ever. Seems like a dream come true. Now, of course, I've read that there are waiting lists for waiting lists. You can't just walk in and get an appointment. When you do finally get an appointment, I've heard the care isn't quite as great. Maybe that's true, maybe it's not. I might have to blog about it later when I have a first-hand experience.
Either way, be prepared to pay that fee upfront. It doesn't cost much ($300/person for the year) but again, it's paired with your visa fee.
Renting an Apartment
This has been harder than I'd like. I also haven't had to put in a lot of effort on this since my mother-in-law loves looking at places. But they definitely do it a little different in Scotland.
My mother-in-law has been scouring apartments for months (looking at prices, number of bedrooms, the distance from my husband's school, the distance from grocery stores, and so forth. She's been diligent.) and has a good feel of some good areas, and of course, how much you'll pay.
When you're moving like we are — with the intent of moving back to the U.S. — it seems like finding a furnished apartment is ideal. But, with furnishings comes a higher price. It's not cheap to have someone provide you with everything you need.
On top of that, I read a really interesting fact that most American homes are 2,300 sq. ft. In Scotland? 883 sq. ft. Wow. I knew I'd have to tone down my expectations of what a "good apartment" was, but it seems like your place will be small at best. I've been wanting a two bedroom for when visitors come, but it's seeming less and less likely that I'll find one in my price range. Sigh.
Also, it turns out, landlords want you to physically see the apartment in person before you sign your lease on the day you move in. I guess they don't want to be scammed. I mean... we probably do seem sketchy from their point of view. Seems reasonably and common practice, but for us, we can't make a separate jaunt over there to solely look at potential homes. So how does one secure a living space before they move? From what I can find: you can't. Now we might be looking at renting an Airbnb or something similar for a while until we can find a place of our own. Not what we were hoping for, but I'm not sure what else people do!
Council Tax Bands
This, my friends, is a special fee that is added to your house/apartment. We had been seeing it on all the listings (This property is in Council Tax Band B) and had no clue what that meant. Some type of zoning limits? Nope. It's essentially a fee you have to pay for water and sewer. And it's not cheap. If you're in band A, you'll pay a little over £1,000 for the year. But if you've found yourself living in band H? Be prepared to spend £3,100 over the course of a year.
Final Thoughts... For Now
While I can't say these will be all the headaches we'll encounter on the process of moving overseas, I do know that these have been our struggles over the last few weeks. It's not an easy transition, at least not for me. I'll continue to post of all the hoops and regulations you have to go through in case anyone else is finding themselves in the same position. Otherwise, you can sit back and enjoy reading the struggle. The struggle is VERY real folks.
Always,
A
