Looking for a future in the UK?

[USTeacher]

Hi there. I have recently gained my Masters degree in Education and I am currently working towards Cert in my subject (History) and also towards Cert in Special Education Generalization. I have been somewhat of an anglophile for many years now, and my family has a history in England beginning in the High Middle Ages up until roughly the 17th century. I really respect and love British culture and history, making it a country that I would deeply wish to immigrate to in the future.

I am currently 25 years of age, have a masters (Though in a non-needed educational subject), and am wondering if anyone could shed any light on what possible chances I may have to move to the UK in the next five or so years. I know that it is extremely difficult to get over there, especially with tightening restrictions on non-EU immigrants (Thanks for that EU...). However I would be willing to try very hard and would obviously take the route through an immigration lawyer. What chance could I have towards a Tier 1 or 2 visa with hopes of naturalization? (In your opinion of course.)

Thank you for any considerations.

[vinny]

Work visas.

[USTeacher]

I'm asking if it is still possible or will be in the near future to move from the US to the UK with my education and the job that I intend to have.

[manci]

Look for a job with a Tier 2 (General) sponsor or approach a recruitment agency.

The list of licensed sponsors is here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... onsors.pdf
(search the list for "school" or "college" or "education")

The job would need to be at least NQF level 6 with appropriate salary:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... l_2015.pdf

[mark83]

It's harder than ever to get a work visa to the UK, and the government announced yesterday they're going to 'crack down' even more on skilled non-EU immigration.

If you are really interested in finding a way to migrate to the UK, consider doing a PhD here. You can stay on for a year after your PhD under the 'doctoral extension scheme', and you can use the time during and after the PhD to look for an employer who will sponsor you for a visa.

Alternatively, if you have any ancestry from other European countries, you might look into whether you may have unknowingly inherited (Italian, Polish, Irish or other) citizenship, which would make things much easier.

[USTeacher]

I would rather avoid taking PhD courses. Also, if the UK is anything like the US in terms of schools, then they are less likely to hire a PhD teacher due to the degree demanding a higher pay scale. I am totally willing to work with Special Education students for several years in order to get over there as well. Any other comments or ideas?

[secret.simon]

I can relate to your desire to explore wanting to settle in the UK because of your anglophile tendencies. That is what lay behind my intention to settle in the UK, although unlike you, I have absolutely no ancestry from these isles.

From the description that you have given of tracing your ancestry to the UK from the High Middle Ages to the 17th century, I would guess that you are a member of, or at least are aware of, geneological societies in the US like Sons of the American Revolution or Daughters of the American Revolution.

Unfortunately, it is becoming quite hard to settle in the UK from outside the UK. As mentioned earlier, you have three basic options;

a) Marry/be a partner of a person settled in the UK (that includes British and Irish citizens and anybody having either ILR or PR).

b) Look at Tier 2 work visas. You would have the advantage of being natively English speaking. But the law requires vacancies to be first advertised in the UK and the rest of the EU before you are allowed to apply, so it is much tougher.

c) Mark83's suggestion is likely to be the easiest option for you to exercise. Other countries within the EU allow citizenship of their countries to be passed down more generations abroad.

Ireland recognises the grandchildren of anybody born on the island of Ireland (in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) as a citizen. If you have an Irish grandparent, once you get an Irish passport, you are considered settled on arrival in the UK.

Other EEA countries that allow their citizenships to be transmitted overseas are Germany, Poland and Spain, among others.

All of them have various conditions to meet, so please do your own research. I wish you the best of luck in whichever avenue you explore.