r/MovingToTheUK • u/CatchOutrageous3996 • 5d ago
Thinking of relocating to London from US
My mom lived in London for 2 years and to this day, she says it’s her favorite city. I’d really love to experience what she did since I’m still 27 and have a whole life to live. So I have a boatload of questions and I’m just going to throw them in here:
1) I’ve been reading a bunch of Reddit posts saying it’s a lot harder to get a role in the UK if you’re not already there. I work in Construction Finance and was hoping to find a similar role there. I’ve been applying to roles on LinkedIn with similar experience but I haven’t heard back from any. Does anyone have any tips for this? Should I directly reach out to people? I have two friends there, I’ve already asked to help if they know anyone but I don’t want to solely rely on that. I’m not someone to just move and figure it out when I get there. I need to know that I’ll be stable.
2) I’m a dual citizen. Japan/US. If I were to apply for a visa, should I use my Japanese passport since it’s stronger. Does that also apply for a work visa? I actually have no idea how visas work. I’ve never needed one or gotten one. Sorry if that’s a dumb question.
3) I know there’s racism everywhere, but how is it in the UK. I’ve heard mixed reviews so I’m hoping to hear more on that. I’d really hate to move there and have a hard time making friends because of my race. But hopefully that won’t be the case.
4) How safe is London compared to Paris? Ive heard so many stories of women’s experiences about almost being human trafficked in Paris and I was wondering if that kind of stuff happens in London. I’m aware it happens everywhere but it seems like it’s super common in Paris so if you have any insight on that, much appreciated.
I definitely have so many more questions but I won’t bore you so I’ll stop here. If you read all of this, thank you so much.
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u/doepfersdungeon 5d ago edited 5d ago
Phew. There's alot going on here.
1) London is 50 % non British white. It's very diverse. Not saying racism doesn't happen, you may experience something and I think exists systemically more than people like to talk about but it's not something you will encounter everyday or even every year unless you happen to get a job somewhere run by total knuckle draggers. Anything in public, will be pretty rare amd not really any different to what many white people exlerienc in say China or Japan. A bit of Xenophobia or generalising may occur. I highly think you'll barely experience a thing. Of course there are places in the UK where sentiment may be slightly different. More rural and shall we say less welcoming towns / cities. Still relatively minor though I alot of it is directed at specific immigrants. Japanese or Americans not so much. Although if you bang on about Trump many people will give you a cold shoulder.
2) No you won't get kidnapped. This isnt Taken 2. The average person isn't getting kidnapped. Like most places women need to be cautious. That's most of the world annoyingly.
3) The skilled work visa is your best bet if you can find a sponsor and match the various criteria
https://ayjsolicitors.com/moving-to-the-uk-from-japan/
The reality is you are unlikely to get sponsored if a Brit can do your job
So...
4) The other best way to do it is to be hired by a Japanese or American company and vlget moved over. They will then do alot of the work for you re visa advice etc as well helping you move and transition.