Long term expat life

August 1, 2007 8:43 AM

I'm living abroad for the foreseeable future. Help me be the best expat I can be.

I moved to London from New York a year ago to complete my master's degree, and I've since decided to stay here. My new visa is good for years, and I could be here a while.

I'm now asking myself what steps to take to get my new life in order. Over the last year I have been living in the short term: I have kept my American credit card and bank account, I haven't sold my car (though I killed my insurance), and most of my worldly possessions are in a closet in my parents' house. Now that I'm staying in London I have to figure out just how much to settle in.

So: what steps should I take now? Is it time to establish a British line of credit? Can I really live the next five to ten years without my books, or is paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars to ship them totally foolish? Should I remain apprehensive about buying anything too big and permanent (an apartment somewhere down the line, e.g.)?

Obviously I would love to hear experiences from Americans abroad or from foreigners in London, but this is an open question about expatriate life in general.

posted by j.s.f. to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

Your question about the balance between a sense of permanancy and the knowledge you're eventually leaving hit the nail right on the head. That's really the hardest part psychologically, in my experience. I think if you're planning to stay 5-10 years then you should do everything to live as if you're there for good. Afterall, even if you were to stay in the US you might move before 5 years are up. Bring over your books if that will make you feel at home and like you're settled. Certainly open a bank account and look for a place to live. London's real estate market has always seemed brisk (spoken as an expat there three times) and if you can afford something now you probably won't go far wrong.

As for making a good expat, keep in mind that no matter how long you're there, you will always be viewed by the natives as American, and as such you will represent the US. I could never understand the folks who moved to another country only to hook up with other expats to run drinking games every weekend. Be a good neighbo(u)r, and make sure you understand the norms of your area (if you've been there a year, you've probably got a good sense of this). Get to know the local politics (and in London this can be at the neighborhood level). Becoming more aware of global politics and history is almost impossible when living in Europe, but the extent to which you can do it enthusiastically and really understand the context of the region will make a big difference in your experience and how others think of you (i.e., you won't be just another clueless American).
posted by cocoagirl at 8:53 AM on August 1, 2007 [2 favorites]

If you have UK income, declare yourself resident in the UK for tax purposes with your bank. You will still have to file a 1040 in the States every year, but as UK taxes are generally higher, you shouldn't owe anything. IRS will come down hard and fast on discontinuity in your filing, and you might lose Social Security benefits if you don't keep your records up to date.

Keep your US bank account if you can. It's just useful when travelling, and when you go home to visit. Bank accounts here are easy to open, though as a US'er it will be hard to convince them to give you an overdraft. It won't stop you being able to buy a house, though mortgage accessibility may vary.

Most books can be reobtained if needed. Ship what's sentimentally valuable or hard to find, and get a British Library card for the rest (easy to do if you are/were a student).

If you plan on a lot of travel, get extra pages added to your passport, they run out fast being stamped in and out of every European country. It's free to do this at the Embassy.

There are a lot of expat bulletin boards around, of particular use should you have specific visa/tax questions.
posted by methylsalicylate at 8:58 AM on August 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

My cousin was in the same exact position as you. Went to the UK and ended up working for a financial company and recently moved back to the state last year. In his case it was extremely beneficial to have his parents house to store a lot of his crap- particularly furniture and nostalgic items that are best left unsent overseas. He was also helped with the knowledge that when he moved back here, he was able to live with the parents for a month or two to find a place of his own. It wasn't a financial issue, but rather one of stress and easing back into life over here. The fact he made enough money to live comfortably for six months without a job (non-compete clause) didn't hurt.
posted by jmd82 at 9:11 AM on August 1, 2007

If you plan on a lot of travel, get extra pages added to your passport, they run out fast being stamped in and out of every European country.

Last I checked, there isn't any border control between EU countries any more.
posted by phrontist at 9:24 AM on August 1, 2007

Last I checked, there isn't any border control between EU countries any more.

Last time I went in and out of Spain, France, Germany, all in the last twelve months, I had to stand in the non-EU queue and passport was stamped everywhere. Passport was stamped three times just for changing planes in Canada. I'm stamped every time I return to the US from anywhere and return to the UK from anywhere. Passing from EU to Schengen and vice versa, stamped. Passing through any of these to Switzerland, you'll get stamped. And so on. Obviously, there are also the non-European countries and all the passport pages travel to India, Nepal, Egypt will take up.

Or as I say, if you're packing blue, you gots to queue.
posted by methylsalicylate at 9:36 AM on August 1, 2007 [2 favorites]

I am German and have lived in the UK for almost 10 years now. I have no plans to return to Germany at present and have bought a property etc. When I decided to stay here after I finished uni I basically made a commitment to the here and now - this is where I am and this is where I am going to be for the foreseable future.

If you have no short/medium term plans to go back you might as well start to center your life around London. That definitely includes bank account, any possessions you would normally acquire at this time of your life etc. If you want to and can afford to buy property then do so.

The alternative is a permanent 'temporary' life which leaves a lot of things in suspense 'until I go back'...who'd want that? My advice would be to basically do anything you would do back home.

If you decide to go down that route you may find that your family/friends 'back home' get a bit upset. My father was very upset when I bought my flat this year - until then he had always had some hope that I might move back to Munich at some point...so you may have to be patient with people while they get their head round the fact that you are now permanently based somewhere else.
posted by koahiatamadl at 9:49 AM on August 1, 2007

London property prices being what they are, if you can afford to buy now, I'd strongly advise it. Paying years of rent if you don't need to is just dead money and if you do go back to the US in a few years' time, you'll have a decent lump sum to take with you that'll go a lot further in the US than it will in the UK (outside of NYC or SF, of course).
posted by essexjan at 10:07 AM on August 1, 2007

Get a letter of reference from your US bank, and keep that account open if at all possible. Same with your credit card. It can take several years to establish new credit in the UK, as your US credit is not recognised at all. Nope, not at all - that can be good or bad.

If you plan to drive, start getting a license now. You can only drive on your US license for a year once you become resident. Keep your US license if you can - in many cases you'll need it to prove your last US address.

Bone up on expat taxes (yep, you still have to file US returns) - it can be sticky, but there's an IRS branch in the London US embassy to help. There's also a Social Security branch as well.

Don't forget to register for your absentee ballots! Not sure what the cutoff is for the 2008 elections, but check out the federal voting assistance programme to see what you need to do.

Good luck! This expat life isn't easy, but it's amazing just the same.
posted by wayward vagabond at 10:10 AM on August 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

Sorry, "Becoming more aware of global politics and history is almost impossible not to do when living in Europe..."
posted by cocoagirl at 10:15 AM on August 1, 2007

Your new visa good for years just means more time to settle and make friends and have the place become your only home, thus all the more destructive when it is all ripped away from you as you feel like staying while your visa expires.

Basically, if you're going to stay, start working on gaining the right to permanent residency NOW, because chances are fair to good that the longer you stay, the more it will become your only home - and so the worse you could be setting yourself up.
posted by -harlequin- at 11:02 AM on August 1, 2007

I'm also an expat, albeit in a slightly more permanent expatriated situation than yourself - I have a partner here in the UK, and own a flat.

Regarding posessions, I have slowly brought over my most prized posessions during visits home and from friends visiting. One christmas, I asked for family to pay for some of my stuff to get shipped instead of sending presents, which re-united me with some of the less luggage-friendly items.

I wouldn't worry about "big" purchases in the UK because while you're here, this is your home, and you should explore what that means to you instead of living a "transition" kind of life. It's also a great investment - even if I were to leave the UK, i would definitely keep our flat and let it out for a long-term investment.

In short, get settled in and learn what it means to be a Londoner - I've lived in the UK twice, once as an "American" and once as a "Scot," and i found the latter incredibly more rewarding.
posted by ukdanae at 12:04 PM on August 1, 2007

Except for irreplacables (signed copies, ones with sentimental value), you don't need those books. Definitely keep an American bank account, but if you currently have one with any kind of monthly fee, downgrade or switch banks to one that's free to just keep there.

Different UK banks have different requirements for opening a fairly basic account: some will want to see your name and address on a utility or council tax bill and/or evidence of previous financial history, others will be happy with any official mail to your UK address (from your US bank, or the Home Office) and a letter from your employer on their letterhead saying you are employed. I believe NatWest and Barclays are more stringent while HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland are relatively laid back. The first account you get might only come with an ATM card and direct-debit capability--you will be eligible for a full account with a debit-card (check-card), chequebook and possibly an overdraft after several months with the same bank and regular activity (ie paying in wages and paying out your rent). It costs nothing to open and simply have a basic UK bank accout. If you trust yourself with them, get any no-annual-fee credit cards you can and use them a little (note: your credit rating improves more from carrying and managing a little balance per month than it does from paying off the whole balance each month).

If you're really going to be in the UK for 5 years, sell your car. It's only going to be worth less and less.

If you haven't needed any medical attention in the UK, you should know that the National Health Service is not the glorious overflowing basket of joy that Michael Moore and others would have you believe--it's a mix of pluses and minuses compared to what you might be used to in the US. Prescription drugs are quite cheap. Visits to your GP, specialists, tests and procedures are free (to you). However depending upon what you need and where you live, you might be waiting a very long time for anything other than a visit to your GP. Not all newests/most-expensive drugs/procedures are available on the NHS. Depending upon you, your health, your family history, etc you may want to consider keeping some sort of low-premium/high-deductible major-medical insurance.

Check the website of the Home Office Immigration Department (or whatever they're going to be calling it in a few years) every few months. Your status and the rules covering it should stay the same for the duration of the visa you have. However when you start to think about staying longer, the rules and application requirements for that process can change without warning. If you're going to apply for different immigration status, it's better to do it sooner than later if only because the application fees are quite steep and can rise sharply without warning as they did this past April.

With that in mind you may be interested to know that, should you fall in love and move in with someone, current UK law says that you can be allowed to stay as a committed-but-unmarried partner if you have been in "a relationship akin to marriage" for at least two years (ie living together, have joint financial and other committments/entanglements, share property, have kids, etc) and intend to keep up with it permanently. However if you go that route they will want to see a lot of evidence that you are in such a relationship (correspondence, photos, plane tickets from holidays, joint bank accounts, utility bills and other such things in both names, etc). So if you move in with someone that you think is worth staying for but you don't want to actually get married, make your union as official on paper with various official bodies as you can and document everything from the beginning. If you're thinking about staying beyond your current visa for whatever reason by any route, do not put off thinking/planning/applying until the last minute. Some extension-of-stay applications can only be made if you have a certain number of months left on your current visa, and if you are under that amount you would have to return to the US and apply from there (and wait for however long that application takes to be processed).

Forget the books.
posted by Martin E. at 4:30 PM on August 1, 2007

methylsalicylate: Last time I went in and out of Spain, France, Germany, all in the last twelve months, I had to stand in the non-EU queue and passport was stamped everywhere.

Weird. I've lived in Austria since 2007 (US citizen), and I can't recall the last time my passport was stamped when passing from one EU country to the next. /derail

My suggestion - live there like you're going to stay. I spent the first few years in Vienna living very light - not much furniture, ready to leave on a moment's notice. If I had it to do over, I would live as if wasn't going to leave.

As for bringing things over, I would second ukdanae's advice and bring them in trickles as you travel between the US and London. Over time, some of the things may lose their importance, and you'll get new stuff in the UK, anyway.
posted by syzygy at 4:53 AM on August 2, 2007

Weird. I've lived in Austria since 2007 (US citizen), and I can't recall the last time my passport was stamped when passing from one EU country to the next.

I live in the UK, and am usually flying. I think that makes the difference.
posted by methylsalicylate at 2:16 AM on August 3, 2007