Any expats on oppo?

"AMGtech - now with more recalls!" (amgtech)
05/30/2016 at 22:26 • Filed to: None

The wife and I have been considering moving from ‘murica to another country but aren’t really sure how to go about this. We’re thinking somewhere in the UK, but aren’t sure where specifically. We know we would have to sell a lot of our things, which is fine. This wouldn’t happen for at least a couple of years. Considering my experience I don’t think it would be an issue to find work. Really what we’re not sure about is the legal details, such as work visas, taxes, etc. etc. So can anyone offer any insight?

DISCUSSION (73)

vdub_nut: scooter snob > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 22:29

Closely following this thread....

Also, started learning a second language in case the OPPOrtunity presents itself.

His Stigness > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 22:32

Why ever would you want to move out of this wonderful country?

/sarcasm

mazda616 > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 22:34

I’ve seriously thought about emigrating to Canada someday. Don’t know if I could do Europe long term, although I’d love to visit.

djmt1 > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 22:39

The UK huh? I guess the allure of ludicrously cheap AMGs is too much. Anyway do you or your wife have Irish or EU nationality because then you can pretty much stroll in and even if you don’t, Americans hardly have trouble getting here or staying here for that matter. You know you guys make up the highest percentage of illegal immigrants in the UK.

pImpOfThePerverse > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 22:46

I think if you sell your house in us to buy one in UK that goes to the assets you’re bringing in and it’s enough for your first visa. They don’t publish the cutoff.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > djmt1
05/30/2016 at 22:47

Yeah, the UK is great for us. Least culture shock, no new language to learn, somewhat similar lifestyle and climate to where we are now. Unfortunately we’re both born and raised ‘muricans. I don’t really want to do it illegally either, we don’t need to make our collective reputation even worse in the eyes of the rest of the world! My sister in law was actually deported from London a few years back.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 22:49

Fiancé and I are talking about if Deloitte to payed for it if we would go to Switzerland. So far answer is yes.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > pImpOfThePerverse
05/30/2016 at 22:54

Hmm, interesting. We don’t currently own a house, but had considered buying one first to sell later or use as another source of income. I’m pretty sure that we would still have to pay some US taxes unless we renounce citizenship, and income from rent could potentially help to offset that. But I’m no expert in any of these areas by any means...

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
05/30/2016 at 22:59

“about if Deloitte to payed for it”? wat?

DipodomysDeserti > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 23:03

Have you ever visited Europe? I’ve travelled all over the continent a few times and will be back in a few weeks. My sister-in-law has been working in Seitzerland for a year now. The U.K. is nice, and culturally it’s very similar to the US/Canada. My wife and I love Spain, and have considered eventually moving to Barcelona. The downside of Europe vs America is that America is a much cheaper place to live in. I have several kids that I work with who have been able to immigrate from Mexico and buy houses working average pay jobs in the US. That ain’t happening in Europe. For all its faults, America does offer much more opportunity to build wealth. However, if that’s not a concern than Europe is the way to go.

djmt1 > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 23:04

Well check your family histories. If either of you have a grandparent who was born in Ireland you can get in due to Ireland’s desperation to attract more people and the weird deal we have with them which makes them all but British Citizens in name.

Anyway to some Britain up culture wise. We love making up swear words, our national newspaper has naked models on the first page and we moan. A lot. Over the most minor of things.

Also London is expensive and crowded at the moment. Try the south coast like Brighton, Portsmouth or Southampton.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > DipodomysDeserti
05/30/2016 at 23:12

No. Neither of us have ever been to another country. We would definitely visit a prospective new home first though. The money part is definitely a concern, but we’re used to living sparsely and my income is safely over the US average, so I think (hope!) we could manage.

Liam Farrell > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 23:16

With everyone’s favorite Mexican hating comedian being so close to election, we have seriously considered a few options.

1. Moving to Ireland, because of our families heritage there it would be a snap for everyone to become citizens.

2. Amalfi coast or Spain. We’ve been there and loved it, it would be a more of working from home type deal because of the lack of jobs in my parents industries.

3. Buying a sailboat and sailing away. Been talking about it for years and it could very well be the opportunity we were looking for. The boat would be much bigger than any boat anyone in my family has sailed, but we have friends who live on sailboats that would love to come along with us.

All three are very viable options, but I think the most likely would be, Ireland. Because having dozens of close relatives there would be a big benefit.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > djmt1
05/30/2016 at 23:23

Neat! I didn’t realize it was that easy. Do you know how far back that goes? My great great great grandfather was from Ireland.

We probably wouldn’t do London for those reasons, as cool as it could be. We were considering some bigger cities in both Scotland and Ireland as well. Main requirement being proximity to a Mercedes dealership. The wife actually has a couple friends in Scotland (I don’t know where exactly though), so she really loves the idea of going there.

djmt1 > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 23:25

Grandparents are the cut off.

MUSASHI66 > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 23:26

Wait, you’ve never even been to another country, but you want to move? Why, why, why?

I could see myself moving to St. Maarten when I retire because I’ve been there and I love it. I could live in Cabo San Lucas because I’ve been there three times and my wife and I love it. But, how could you just decide to leave everything and move?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Liam Farrell
05/30/2016 at 23:29

Lol completely forget about that whole comedic production. But considering it now makes the prospect of leaving here much more enticing.

1. Great idea. Someone else mentioned the family thing/heritage making it easy to move there.

2. Beautiful locations. Starting to think about them myself. Biggest turn off being the requirement of learning a new language. Which really isn’t that big of a deal.

3. Fun! But pirates!

pImpOfThePerverse > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 23:33

The threshold is probably around 50k. If you don’t have an extensive criminal record all UK cares about is howuch money you bring with you.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > djmt1
05/30/2016 at 23:34

Darn. No luck for us then.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > MUSASHI66
05/30/2016 at 23:39

Why not? We want to see parts of the world but more than just the fleeting snapshots you get from vacations. We’ve both up and left our lives more than once to move somewhere within the US, next step is out of the US. Plus, adventure!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > pImpOfThePerverse
05/30/2016 at 23:41

Bring with in cash and assets? Or potential income? Income is easy, but cash and assets we can get to that level in a couple years at most, safely that is.

Tripper > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 23:48

We’ve kicked around the idea as well (moving to the UK). My sister used to live there, we have visited a bunch of times and love it.

I’m surprised that no one has mentioned a visa. They’re real tough to get for an American going to the UK. You can get a temporary work visa for a few months, which obviously would mean lining up work before you go. That too is no easy task. If I understand it correctly, an employer in the UK has to prove that there is no one available in country to do the same job that they are hiring you to do.

If you make any traction, I would love to hear about it. We put the idea on the back after we found out how difficult would probably be. Now I’m just hoping my company goes international in the near future as London would be our first office outside of the US.

MUSASHI66 > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 23:52

Because it is a different health care system, different tax system, different.... everything - not just a different state. I would understand taking a month long vacation somewhere, loving that place and moving there after a crap ton of research. But moving to a different country without ever even being on spring break in Mexico...that is more than an adventure.

My opinion only, good luck if you do move.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Tripper
05/30/2016 at 23:56

Hmm. I didn’t realize a work visa would be that difficult to get. I’m going to have to look more into that. Honestly I don’t think finding work would be much of an issue. Master certified Mercedes technicians typically have the luxury of being able to walk into a dealership and be hired on the spot in quite a few cities. If chose this would be more difficult to do remotely but in hopeful that I could come up with something. Work prospects would very likely dictate the exact place we move to.

DipodomysDeserti > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2016 at 23:58

If you're willing to work you can always make it happen. Definitely check out Spain and Switzerland if you visit Europe. Barcelona is my favorite city on earth.

AntiSpeed > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 00:01

I’m dual US/EU citizen so I can’t offer any advice with that, but if you consider a non-English speaking country (which you should; I enjoyed my time in Italy a lot more than my time in the UK. Although it would be a nightmare to find work there), keep in mind that there are immersive language schools all over the place. They’re not super expensive and aside from learning the language they are an awesome experience in themselves.

AntiSpeed > Liam Farrell
05/31/2016 at 00:03

Combine 2 and 3!

DipodomysDeserti > MUSASHI66
05/31/2016 at 00:05

Living in Cabo would be like living in Disneyland. It's a fake city set up for Americans. Except every once in a while some wise ass hangs a few decapitated corpses from a bridge.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > MUSASHI66
05/31/2016 at 00:06

We would definitely visit first before going all the way as it were. And I know it sounds crazy, maybe is, but even if we fail at it we can say we tried. I’ve never been one to follow conventional methods :)

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 00:06

Im planning to work for the #1 accounting firm in the world and they don’t mind on sending their employees to foreign countries

MUSASHI66 > DipodomysDeserti
05/31/2016 at 00:09

You walk 3 blocks away from the marina, and you are in hard core Mexico.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > DipodomysDeserti
05/31/2016 at 00:09

That’s one of the things that is so appealing about Europe. So many beautiful counties in close enough proximity to be able to visit them on weekends.

I could never do it without work. Hell, I’m not sure I could enjoy a retirement without work even if I do build a solid retirement fund.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > AntiSpeed
05/31/2016 at 00:11

Lucky! I’m definitely starting to consider them more and more. Their climates/weather alone is hugely tempting considering I live in a place that rains 7-9 months every year.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
05/31/2016 at 00:13

Oh ok. That’s very cool. Let me know if they need a mechanic for their fleet of company cars. I suppose I could “take one for the team" and help out :)

Tripper > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 00:20

Yea I’m not sure of the details, and they would likely not matter if Mercedes was handling your transfer/work visa. A friend of mine worked for a whiskey company in London. He had a 3 month visa and was supposed to have it extended for another 3-6 but was held at the airport and sent back to the US when he returned to the UK after the holidays. His employer couldn’t do anything for him.

Anyway, Going through Merc is definitely your best bet. A gigantic global corporation is going to have an easier time pulling the strings. If the UK isn’t an option, try the netherlands. We loved Amsterdam!

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > AntiSpeed
05/31/2016 at 00:40

How did you obtain the dual citizenship? I didn’t find anything meaningfull on the internet.

pImpOfThePerverse > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 01:09

Well they talk big about your career prospects but the consensus among expats ten years ago was that they count the money you’ve already made first, then look to that which you might.

DipodomysDeserti > MUSASHI66
05/31/2016 at 01:18

I used to build houses in the villages outside of Tijuana and Puerta Peñasco. Three blocks from the marinas in Cabo is not hardcore Mexico. Its definitely Mexico Light.

DipodomysDeserti > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 01:31

I’m a true blue American. I’ve grown up in the deserts of the Southwest and have a connection with the land. That said, I love Europe. It’s a wonderful place with tons of history and equally great cultures as the Americas.

My great grandfather was the only person to leave the family farm in Calabria and come to America. Our branch of the family tree are kind of legends because of him. My ancestors were Albanian mercenaries who were given land in Italy as payment for fighting for the various kings in the region. They left Albania when the Ottomans conquered Albania some 600 years ago. They still own their lands in Calabria and still speak mideival Albanian, so I have a certain connection to Europe as well.

Since it is Memorial Day, I always pay homage to my great grandfather as he fought in WWI on a destroyer despite not being a citizen of the US. He lived until 102 years old and would tell me stories of his adventures when I visited him as a small child. His spirit of adventure still lives in me and I strive to live up to it. Don’t let the sedentary culture of modern America weigh you down. If you want to pack up an go, do it.

Kinja'd!!!

That's my great grandfather. An Albanian speaking Italian fighting for America in France over a hundred years ago.

TractorPillow > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 01:58

I am an American citizen living in Amman, Jordan (for the past week) and I love it so far!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Tripper
05/31/2016 at 02:10

The Netherlands could be a good option too thanks!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > pImpOfThePerverse
05/31/2016 at 02:11

Ok. Obviously I’ll need to contact someone who deals with it professionally to find out exact details.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > DipodomysDeserti
05/31/2016 at 02:13

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > TractorPillow
05/31/2016 at 02:15

Congratulations! That seems like it would be quite a place to live. Such rich culture and history.

Was it difficult to arrange everything?

Tapas > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 02:34

Can I assume your identity after you move out?

Immigrating to America has proven to be a bitch lately lol

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Tapas
05/31/2016 at 02:37

I was going to post an ad on craigslist selling my identity for cheap, since I won’t need it in ‘murica anymore. But if you’re currently not in the US, perhaps we could just trade identities?

pImpOfThePerverse > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 02:49

Try your luck. Who knows, maybe there’s a crippling shortage of Mercedes techs. Here’s hoping they don’t Screw that up by voting to leave the EU . Can you fix range rovers? Seriously, though, Americans seem to have little trouble getting in. For some reason Brits think getting us papers is impossible. Maybe it is.

pImpOfThePerverse > pImpOfThePerverse
05/31/2016 at 02:50

US papers, not us papers. dumb smart phone.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > pImpOfThePerverse
05/31/2016 at 02:56

There seems to be a shortage of high level skilled technicians everywhere, not just Mercedes ones. Some places, like southern California, have a surplus of technicians, but many of them aren’t particularly skilled. It’s funny you mention range rovers, I actually worked at a rover shop for a few years. Never again. Unless I absolutely have to.

pImpOfThePerverse > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 03:05

So you should apply. Good luck and Godspeed . Just visit first. In a lot of ways it’s really terrible.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 03:10

So I’m not technically an expat but I am an American currently living in Spain with the wife and kids. However, it’s the Air Force that moved me here and will be moving me out next year. The language barrier was really frustrating for me when I moved out here but it’s getting better for me each day. There are a lot of Spanish locals that work on base that are bilingual and help me out a lot. The locals that are in the town, however, are less than helpful. They aren’t too fond of the American presence down here (not enough to be violent or anything but you get some glances and dirty looks).

The food is, different to say the least. I don’t know if I’m just not going to the right places or anything but it seems that the Spanish do not like using spices. They also call pepperoni pizza (like you would get in the states) spicy pizza. The Spanish wouldn’t be able to handle Taco Bell’s hot sauce. That’s not to say the food is bad, it’s just different.

People drive crazy here. The speed limit is usually something between 90 and 120 kph and people are always doing something between 20 and 30 kph over that. On the flipside, if they aren’t going over the speed limit, they’re going something like 15 to 20 kph under the limit. Almost all the roads are one lane either direction so you have to wait for the dotted line to pass (passing lanes are rare) but it seems that every time you can pass, there’s a convoy of people coming the other way. I also own and drive a 2010 Ford Explorer. Not the biggest car when I was living in Alaska. Now, it’s a monster. The town roads are narrow (as evidenced by the scuff mark on my rear fender now) and people will be walking in the middle of the road and not care about you.

Now I know you said you were thinking the UK and I’m here in Spain, but I just wanted to give you some bullet points from my experience so far. I don’t write this to turn you off from moving, just wanted to show you my perspective. In fact, I’m thinking I want to move out of country when I get out of the Air Force. Let me know if you have any questions and I’d be happy to try and answer.

Tapas > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 03:19

I’m not currently in the US and I’m up for a trade lol. If you take my identity, you wont have to pay taxes to the US government on income earned outside the States. Thats a good deal :D

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > pImpOfThePerverse
05/31/2016 at 03:22

Will definitely just visit first. Thanks.

TractorPillow > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 03:26

I’m only here for a year or so on an assignment, so most of the stuff was arranged for me. It’s been an easy enough transition though. Very cool city and having a blast so far. Driving here is crazy as can be. You have to be very aggressive. It’s like all of the douchebag behaviors I have quelled since I started driving now must be manifested in order to stay alive.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec?
05/31/2016 at 03:26

Honestly it sounds like a few different aspects of a few different places I’ve been and lived, aside from the language barrier. Just another adventure really.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > TractorPillow
05/31/2016 at 03:28

Sounds great. But the driving part is one of the main reasons I would prefer a place in the UK, like a smallish city. I suspect the traffic would be more similar to what I’m used to. Whereas many parts of Asia and the middle east seem like they would be absolutely insane.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Tapas
05/31/2016 at 03:30

That is a good deal! I’m afraid all I can offer in return is my mediocre credit score and access to the “greatest”(?) country on earth.

Tapas > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 03:33

Hey, I don’t mind that. I’m stuck in between countries right now if Im honest.

I don’t want to go back to India, where I’m a citizen of.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Tapas
05/31/2016 at 03:40

I imagine India would be a difficult place to make your way through life comfortably. Although not lacking in its beauty and culture

Tapas > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 04:01

I agree.

I’m honestly not a fan of living there. I liked living in Houston much better.

Tapas > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 04:10

Still down for that identity trade? :D lol

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 04:32

Adventure is a good way to put it. My wife and I are honestly pretty done with Spain and would love to go back to the States. I think what we’re mostly missing is just being able to communicate with people again.

MarqCars > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 05:42

I’m an American Expat living in the UK! I’ve been here for about 6 months so maybe I can answer some of your questions. I’m on a spousal visa however which, since you're already married, won't be applicable to you. If you have any questions ask away!

Rico > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 07:58

Funny that you post this. Just came back from my first business trip to the Middle East and Europe and I too am trying to GTFO of America. It’s no longer the place to be after you see how much better people are living. Had lunch with an extremely wealthy 75 year old Expat living in France and he told me America just isn’t what it used to be and it’ll never be the same since his generation “fucked it up for you guys”.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec?
05/31/2016 at 09:34

Understandable. And that’s a big draw for an English speaking country.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > MarqCars
05/31/2016 at 09:36

Awesome! How do incomes and housing costs compare to where you’re from?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Rico
05/31/2016 at 09:42

Wow. Interesting thing to hear from someone like that. Not necessarily untrue, just unexpected.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 10:13

Haha my parents are saying the same thing.

MarqCars > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/31/2016 at 11:10

Well I’m only 21 and up until moving I lived with my parents; but in my area which is about 30 minutes north of Brighton, the rent is about on par with what one would expect in the suburbs of Atlanta, which is where I’m originally from! I’ve heard its cheaper to live in the North of England than it is in the South.

AntiSpeed > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
05/31/2016 at 17:32

My dad grew up in Italy. If you have European heritage, even going back a few generations you might be able to apply.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > AntiSpeed
06/01/2016 at 01:25

Interesting. My father is an American expat in Germany and my mother is German and we live there.

AntiSpeed > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
06/01/2016 at 10:36

Are you a German or American citizen?

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > AntiSpeed
06/01/2016 at 10:38

German. But I had an American passport up until a few years ago and I’ve never lived in the US.