What to Know about Relocating from the United Kingdom to the Florida Keys

ISLAMORADA, Fla. - Dec. 28, 2014 - PRLog -- Per Jan Keller, Top Producing Islamorada Real Estate Agent for Coldwell Banker Schmitt,"There are approximately 840,000 United Kingdom expats residing in the United States, consisting of Scots, Irish, Welsh, and English.

Many U.K. subjects move from their native territories across the pond to America because of career, and, in more than a few instances, to enjoy a warmer, more inviting climate. Escaping English summers is a very tempting notion, especially when an expat is going to be living in the best the Sunshine State has to offer--the Florida Keys.

An island archipelago extending from the southernmost tip of Florida, splitting the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico, residents here are able to enjoy what amounts to an endless summer. Relocating from Great Britain to the Keys is certainly an exciting proposition, but one that requires a bit of an education and some planning on which to act.

What else to Know about Relocating from the United Kingdom to the Florida Keys

First and foremost, you can simply come to familiarize yourself with the area on a simple travel visa. Staying for a few weeks is a great way to get to know the locality and learn about the culture. You’ll find working Americans dine-out for lunch, rather than eat at their desks or stay on premises. What you won’t find are kippers, bubble and squeak, and that tea is served with ice, not warm.

To stay and work in the United States, you’ll need to either be relocating with your current employer from the U.K. to America, or have a valid offer of employment from a company located in the United States. For skilled workers, like engineers, teachers, managers, and others, the H1-B non-immigrant visa is the ticket to seek. If you’re a soon-to-be expat that doesn’t meet the skilled worker status, there’s a temporary non-agricultural H-2B visa available. A third alternative is to put your name into the annual green card lottery, which accepts about 55,000 foreigners per year.

You’re finances will also be different in the United States, which can be helpful or harmful. Credit scoring models differ between both countries, so your U.K. credit score won’t accompany your financial history to the United States. You’ll have to build your credit from scratch. Start with lenders based in the U.K. with a presence in America.

Some good news is your U.K. state pension will remain in effect, earning a 2.5 percent rate of return, the U.K. consumer price index, or average earnings.

Basically, the “triple lock” protection model will stay in-force. Speaking of earnings, those will be taxed at the effective rate based on your income and what the tax collector, the Internal Revenue Service, calls the substantial presence test.

About Jan Keller. Jan is a Top producing Real Estate agent and the owner of the Florida website www.kellerporterteam.com designed specifically to help people relocating to Islamorada and the upper Florida Keys.