Any immigrants here?

[Dempsey1919]

Are there any immigrants here?

I ask because I am considering moving from the United Kingdom to New York city and I wanted to know about the experiences of others who have left their homeland to start a life somewhere else.

I visited New York on vacation about a month ago and I really liked the place. I realise that real life is different from a vacation but I really think there are more opportunities for me there. Where I live, there are no decent jobs and the standard of living isn’t great. I feel that I could do better in New York.

People in America are far more positive than us Brits. You get the impression that you can do anything you want in America. I like the whole “American Dream.” And I believe that it can be achieved if you work hard enough.

One of the main things I like about New York in particular is that the faith is far more vibrant and alive. The Churches I visited were always full and there were a lot more young people. The faith in Britain is dying; there are very few young Catholics. I am practically the only one in my Church.

Could you give me any advice about immigrating? What was it like when you first arrived? Was it hard at first? Would you recommend it?

 

[PaulinVA]

Dempsey, I’m not an immigrant myself (my grandfather came from Ireland), but I believe that America is indeed the land of opportunity, and immigrants seem to be much more able to take advantage of that than native born Americans. Go figure.

As Tony Blair said of the United States at one point of global anti-Americanism, to paraphrase, “They must have something going for them; everyone is moving there and no one is leaving.”

 

[1ke]

NYC is one of the most expensive cities in the US. There are many places that have equal opportunity and a more reasonable cost of living. I guess it depends on your professional aspirations.

America is indeed the land of opportunity. Immigrants still get that. Americans are spoiled and don’t always recognize how fortunate we are. It’s a shame. You can do or be anything in America.

I would suggest you do more research on the US, different cities, etc. It’s a very big place.

As far as moving away, it will probably be harder than you think. I moved across the US when I got married-- not the same as moving to a foreign country, but different enough. It is hard, and it can be lonely sometimes.

In general Americans are very friendly people. So, you should make friends easily.

And, since you don’t have a language barrier, other than some of the American/British English differences, it will probably be less of a culture shock for you.

 

[Galilea]

I was born across the river from NY, in New Jersey. But from my neighborhood You could see the whole NY sky line and it was only a few train stops away. My parents moved there from Puerto Rico and like anywhere that one moves in new, one has to work hard at it at the beggining. I married military, so I know what it is like to start over in many places. But NY just makes it easier because of al the public transportation and job opportunities. I know that a whole lot of British people have moved there lately and I also know they are doing quiete well. Catholic church there is truly rich in youth! I tell you from experience, I use to attend a lot of catholic youth activities there. Just pray a lot and be mentally ready for the culture shock, being homesick etc.
Believe me, even americans that have to move around the nation for whatever reason, go through some issues of getting used to. So be mentally and emotionally prepared that “It will be different”. The faster you get involved in a church community and youth group, the easier it will be.

 

[Dempsey1919]

America is indeed the land of opportunity. Immigrants still get that. Americans are spoiled and don’t always recognize how fortunate we are. It’s a shame. You can do or be anything in America.

I can’t really describe what I mean when I say that you get the impression that you can do anything in America. The whole society seems far more positive. We Brits have a notorious repuation for being very negative and I would say that it’s true. The Americans have the attitude that anything’s possible.

In general Americans are very friendly people. So, you should make friends easily.

I went to America by myself and I found everyone I met to be very helpful and friendly. I met a ton of friendly people at the Irish bars in New York.

Dempsey, I’m not an immigrant myself (my grandfather came from Ireland), but I believe that America is indeed the land of opportunity, and immigrants seem to be much more able to take advantage of that than native born Americans. Go figure.

I think it’s probably because you’re used to what it’s like and don’t realise what you’ve got. It’s not just the place that I like; I even love the principals upon which America was founded; it’s the perfect democracy in my opinion.

You mentioned that you’re father was from Ireland. The funny thing is, my grandfather had uncles, cousins and aunts who moved to America from Ireland. My side of the family moved from Kildare to England.

Catholic church there is truly rich in youth! I tell you from experience, I use to attend a lot of catholic youth activities there. Just pray a lot and be mentally ready for the culture shock, being homesick etc.

As I said in my original post, the faith is far stronger in America. The pews are always full and people aren’t embarrased to express their faith. Even the homlies during Mass were more orthodox. The priests weren’t afraid to mention the word “abortion” or “contraception.”

Also, I have never met another young Catholic in my area or Church. I did meet some briefly at the University chaplaincy but they were far from orthodox; and I’m not being judgemental in saying that. I stopped going because they had gay pride flags up in the chaplaincy. In America, I was shocked to see many young Catholics at Mass; I felt more at home in some ways because of this.

 

[Nordar]

Hi Demsey I originally come from Edinburgh born and raised there, I immigrated to NY. I love it here although I am not so sure it is the greatest place to immigrate to right now. It is very expensive to live here and the economy is not so great. Like 1ke said it depends on your profession. Where in England are you?

 

[Dempsey1919]

Where in England are you?

In the North East.

 

[samovila]

I work with international students at a college and also my husband immigrated from Canada when we got married. I love living in the U.S. It is afterall, my home. You may not find it so easy to move here, though. It can be difficult to get a work visa and aside from marrying a citizen, there aren’t many opportunities to immigrate. I would encourage you to do some research on travel.state.gov and look at the link on immigrating to the U.S. Also visajourney.com was a great help to us during my husband’s immigration process.