Immigration in Scotland

[SteveB]

Culture is as culture be.
In a six month visit in England many long years ago, I found very little problem operating the shifter with my left hand, popping the bonnet to check the lube, and stowing in the boot. Immersion it was as I was stationed with the R.A.F. Due care was needed in the roundabouts with a full lorrie with a tag along. Although it was over thirty years ago, it all came back to me in 2000, when I visited Ireland. I quickly reverted to the driving on the proper side of the road as soon as my left hand started to move the shifter. The economic difference hit again whilst traveling in Northern Ireland, as the petrol was 82p per litre. While many were griping about the cost of petrol in the U.S. 1.37 USD per US Gallon, that translated to 18p per litre at the time. Ethol was far more dear. I live in Massachusetts where it is alleged to be Taxachusetts. Here has nothing on the Exchecquer in the UK. If you think a state sales tax is bad, wait until you meet VAT. I realize my neighbours in Canada face a good deal of this with HST, GST, PST on darn near everything.
During my teen years, I lived for one full year as an exchange student in Scotland. I found it interesting that my middle class family in the U.S. was far wealthier in terms of standard of living than my well off Scot family. In the U.S. I had a large room of my own, in Scotland I shared with my two "brothers". I have always had a very well rounded American vocabulary. It took me a couple of months to be up to speed in English. I suffered in spelling BTW. Schooling was by far a different world from what I had experienced in the U.S. I am grateful for the opportunity that the year in Scotland brought to me an understanding our differences that make us who we are. Fortunately one of my "brother"s had bet that he would out grade me in school. That was the challenge needed to work on my studies. In the end I just barely squeaked past him at the end of the year. Both of us were listed with honours. (My spelling had improved). On the social side, my "brother" and I went everywhere together, and I was the "foreigner that was with him for the year." I did not mind, as that gave me some in with the other teen neighbours. It took me a long time before I could hold my own in a football match.
When you go, do enjoy the educational work. Then decide what is is you really want. You may wind up back home again.

[gilmore]

I addition to the above suggestions, you might also look into becoming a citizen of another country in the EU where that could be more easily done, and then moving to the UK. E.g., if you have a recent ancestor (parent, grandparent or also great grandparent, I believe) who was Lithuanian, you have a right to Lithuanian citizenship.

[O'Neille]

You said post-grad program so you'd be covered w/ an educational visa. Any program you'd be accepted into would have that information.

[McClef]

Marriage or Civil Partnership with a UK citizen would be one of the ways also.

But full information should be available from the US Consulate in NYC or the British Embassy in DC.

The thread title is slightly misleading as it's immigrating into the UK, not just Scotland which is not currently able to set its own immigration requirements.

[Mike1]

Be sure to examine all of the options available to you, before making the jump.

It was pointed out earlier you could enter on a student visa, which is true. A student visa will also allow you to hold a work permit, which you must have in order to get a job. However, the work permit for a student has limitations. You are only allowed to work something around 20 hours per week during the school term. You can work full-time during the holidays, however.

A spouse visa is fairly straightforward, but it also carries a probationary period of two years, so merely marrying a Scottish girl is no guarantee of anything. After the marriage, you will still need to work with the British Consul, here in the US. Your spouse would not necessarily have to be here with you for that process, but it will help.

Whichever direction you choose to take, be sure you jump through every hoop, dot every 'i' and cross every 't', because Home Office will have no pity if they discover you are trying to circumvent the system. I was engaged to a young lady in Clackmannanshire and when I would go across, I was always very careful to simply say I would be staying with friends in that area. Admitting we were engaged would have raised every red flag, as they would have suddenly been concerned I was trying to slip past the system. I was already attracting enough attention by showing up there every 2-4 months and they weren't shy about mentioning that to me.

[LairdOfTheBrae]

I am currently trying to get british citizenship through way of "certificate of entitlement". both my parents were born and married in Scotland, however, they adopted me in Canada, shortly after their emigration.

If you have a grandfather born in the UK you will have a claim to an 'ancestral visa' where you can live and work and contribute to GDP and prove that you are not a drain on society and they will naturalise you after five years if you are a good boy of 'good character'.

I would suggest talking to the nearest british high commission. the phone rates are a little ridiculous. here's the website just in case you case you haven't had a boo.

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-f...l-america/?l=U

http://www.britainusa.com/sections/a...=41001&a=25312

You should be able to get a lot of info from these two sites, and/or links to the info you need. cheers.

[slohairt]

I am currently trying to get british citizenship through way of "certificate of entitlement". both my parents were born and married in Scotland, however, they adopted me in Canada, shortly after their emigration.

If you have a grandfather born in the UK you will have a claim to an 'ancestral visa' where you can live and work and contribute to GDP and prove that you are not a drain on society and they will naturalise you after five years if you are a good boy of 'good character'.

I would suggest talking to the nearest british high commission. the phone rates are a little ridiculous. here's the website just in case you case you haven't had a boo.

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-f...l-america/?l=U

http://www.britainusa.com/sections/a...=41001&a=25312

You should be able to get a lot of info from these two sites, and/or links to the info you need. cheers.

Just remember that Canada is a Commonwealth Realm and America is not. I believe British High Commissions only exist in Commonwealth nations. The procedures for a Canadian moving to the UK are probably very different than those necessary for an American.

[cessna152towser]

Bizarre as it may seem, people from English speaking nations such as USA sometimes have quite a few hurdles to negotiate before they can settle in Scotland, though it is much easier to visit on a temporary visa. Citizens of the European Union have, with few exceptions, a right of residence within any country of the European Community, and therefore many Poles, Czechs, Slavs, Latvians, etc have settled in Scotland within the past few years and are now learning the language. Of course this works both ways, many native Scots have moved to sunnier climes in Spain or France in recent years.

[Arlen]

There are a lot of options, but it is expensive, it's hard work and it's horribly frustrating.
I'm Scottish and my wife is American. She studied here for a year during college and has a degree in a field where Scotland REALLLLLY needs workers and we still had a nightmare time and decided to move to America instead.

If you are a student, try to study in Scotland. If you finish a degree and a postgrad here they will very often be favourable when it comes to getting you a work permit.


Good luck.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Generally speaking your time as a student in the UK (or any other EU member state) will not count toward your five year residence requirement before you may apply to become a citizen (or subject, in the case of the UK) in that country.

My comments re: cultural deprivation were not intended to discourage you from moving, rather they were based on twenty-one years observation of foreigners moving into Ireland and after less than a year going back "home".

It was Walter Scott who wrote in Lays of the Last Minstrel:

Breathes there a Man with soul so dead
He never to himself has said,
"This is my own, my native land."

And when that moment comes, people tend to pack their bags and head back "home".

You may move to Scotland, but no matter how long you live there you will never truly be "Scottish". Your children born there will be Scots, but you will at best be British by adoption. That said, go for it if you want. Good or bad you'll love the experience. And if nothing else it may convince you that Dorothy was right when she told Auntie Em, "There's no place like home."