Living in New York City

[Jolyon]

there's an outside chance i might be moving to NYC next year some time for a year or so, as my other half has the possibility of working for a magazine based in the city.

but...what i want to know is...how easy is it to get a job in nyc? and how expensive are new york rents - say compared to london? I pay £550 a month rent here now...

[ladyboygrimsby]

When I moved there, nearly ten years ago, my rent was $1,200. Friends who are still living there tell me it's got pretty astronomical over the past few years in the areas that used be affordable (Chinatown, Lower East Side, Alphabet City, East Village etc.).

As for getting a job... As a Brit it's getting very hard to get anything without proper papers (it was pretty hard when I lived there) and we're not permitted to enter the annual Green Card Lottery (as the Irish are, for example), so your options are pretty limited, unfortunately. Unless you can get someone to sponsor you. Then it becomes very easy and do-able.

[der geile hund]

Originally posted by ladyboygrimsby:
When I moved there, nearly ten years ago, my rent was $1,200. Friends who are still living there tell me it's got pretty astronomical over the past few years in the areas that used be affordable (Chinatown, Lower East Side, Alphabet City, East Village etc.).

As for getting a job... As a Brit it's getting very hard to get anything without proper papers (it was pretty hard when I lived there) and we're not permitted to enter the annual Green Card Lottery (as the Irish are, for example), so your options are pretty limited, unfortunately. Unless you can get someone to sponsor you. Then it becomes very easy and do-able. Why aren't Brits allowed to enter the Green Card lottery? I thought every country on earth had its allotted number of annual Green Cards.

[Jolyon]

Originally posted by ladyboygrimsby:
When I moved there, nearly ten years ago, my rent was $1,200. Friends who are still living there tell me it's got pretty astronomical over the past few years in the areas that used be affordable (Chinatown, Lower East Side, Alphabet City, East Village etc.).

As for getting a job... As a Brit it's getting very hard to get anything without proper papers (it was pretty hard when I lived there) and we're not permitted to enter the annual Green Card Lottery (as the Irish are, for example), so your options are pretty limited, unfortunately. Unless you can get someone to sponsor you. Then it becomes very easy and do-able. I'll have to sponge off my missus then. haha.

[MarkK]

Your chances of getting a job without a work permit is nil (except cleaning houses or something). What type of visa is your other half getting? Can you apply for the same type.

Word of caution. If you have plans to ever immigrate to the US, do not work illegally here. That can ban you for 10 years.

Immigration in the US is no joke anymore.


Originally posted by Jolyon:
there's an outside chance i might be moving to NYC next year some time for a year or so, as my other half has the possibility of working for a magazine based in the city.

but...what i want to know is...how easy is it to get a job in nyc? and how expensive are new york rents - say compared to london? I pay £550 a month rent here now...

[Wild i]

NY is the land of deals and ripoffs, although the ripoffs are becoming more plentiful and the deal few and far between.

If you're planning on living in Manhattan (south of 96th St.) plan on pay at least $2k p/mo rent for the smallest studio.

As for jobs, there are plenty out there, but it all depends on what you want to do. I don't know squat about immigration, but good luck with that.

P.S. I love this place!

[Jolyon]

nah wouldn't want to live there forever...it'd only be for a year or so. it's nothing concrete at the moment anyway.

[John Hall]

Jolyon, the answer is simple. You find a one-year
sublet, in which the primary tenant wants to leave
town for one year, but still keep their name on
the lease. Just how much the sublettor can charge
you is regulated...I believe not more than 10% higher than the rent they are paying.
This way you're more likely to find something
affordable AND closer to downtown Manhattan and/or
downtown Brooklyn.
As far as legal versus "off the books" income, don't
sweat the off-the-books money as long as MOST of your income is legit and verifiable, with no credibility gap between your apparent income and
actual lifestyle, ie driving a BMW on Security Guard wages.

[music]

you have a better chance at living in brooklyn

[Rob.J]

quote:

Why aren't Brits allowed to enter the Green Card lottery? I thought every country on earth had its allotted number of annual Green Cards.

They have'nt been entered for years as apparently the quota of people who are allowed to legally work there via sponsership etc for the UK 50,000 i think is filled each year, whereas the other countries that are illegible to enter the lottery have not reached there allowed quota or something like that, although you'd think with all of the, ahem, assistance we've provided the USA, they would relax that somewhat...

This is one of my pet gripes, although i have now found someone willing to sponser me and my partner for either the USA or CANADA both are residents and family members.

I worked in the USA for 3yrs illegally doing general construction work and was paid pretty well, but i would have been up s h i t creek without a paddle if i had been injured

Work should not be two hard to find, albeit no in your chosen field..

cheers

rob

[ September 03, 2003, 08:53 AM: Message edited by: Rob.J ]

[der geile hund]

Originally posted by Rob.J:
quote:

Why aren't Brits allowed to enter the Green Card lottery? I thought every country on earth had its allotted number of annual Green Cards.

They have'nt been entered for years as apparently the quota of people who are allowed to legally work there via sponsership etc for the UK 50,000 i think is filled each year, whereas the other countries that are illegible to enter the lottery have not reached there allowed quota or something like that, although you'd think with all of the, ahem, assistance we've provided the USA, they would relax that somewhat...

This is one of my pet gripes, although i have now found someone willing to sponser me and my partner for either the USA or CANADA both are residents and family members.

I worked in the USA for 3yrs illegally doing general construction work and was paid pretty well, but i would have been up s h i t creek without a paddle if i had been injured

cheers

rob My understanding is that the setting of these quotas is profoundly political. Hence, all the drunk, worthless Irish dudes running around San Francisco - all the Irish senators (Kennedy et al) see to it that you have like a 50% chance of getting a Green Card if you're Irish.

[Insert pseudonym here]

Originally posted by Jolyon:
there's an outside chance i might be moving to NYC next year some time for a year or so, as my other half has the possibility of working for a magazine based in the city.

but...what i want to know is...how easy is it to get a job in nyc? and how expensive are new york rents - say compared to london? I pay £550 a month rent here now... You should start investigating the process of obtaining a work permit or see if the United States has a "skilled migrant" program.

Living in New York:

If you are determined to live on the "island" Manhattan, then you need to decide if you are going to be uptown before you hit the Bronx or below 96th Street.

Get your £££ ready if you are going below 96th Street (unless your misses is paid in the shade)... QAF are snapping up everything that has "HUD" written on it, so if you want a big apartment for less money, set your sights above 127th street. Harlem and Da' Heights are suffering from a complete I saw it in Cosmo Gentrification Spurt right now... I will leave that comment right there and you just marinate on it. But, Harlem and Da' Heights aren't completely gentrified yet, so there are some really spacious old apartments above 135, 145 and 155th street. Mostly west side, east Harlem is a tad bit too sketchy for my taste.

If you go to yahoo! (American version) and type in affordable housing in NYC, a link should pop up and it will give you a list of affordable 2-3 bedroom apartments being developed in Harlem and Da' Heights. Rents are as low as $525 per month for a 2 bedroom apartment. (Trust me, I was on the waiting list for a year for one and those puppies are NICE AS F***. Totally refurbished, cameras on premises, cable and broadband ready, new kitchen,... you name it ... it's in the damn apartment.) They are based on income, so since you won't have a gig... you should meet the income requirement.

Other than that... there is Brooklyn. I have friends who live off the "C" train at Clinton-Washington across Flatbush Ave ... and they are in heaven because the apartments are still reasonable, they are by the C and Channel 5 Gentrification is coming to that neighborhood as well, they have better patrolled streets, a new cafe on the corner, organic food shop 2 blocks up the road and they are a total of 20 mins from downtown Manhattan.

Well, that's all I can remember about housing in NYC. Best place to go is that affordable housing website or if you know someone who has a really old relative in NYC and they are about to croak... you may just get lucky.

Good Luck.

PS
Please feel free to take Nev M and myself with you. LOL! We could possibly fit in your luggage. Hee-hee-hee. graemlins/grinyes.gif

[Rob.J]

When i lived in San Francisco, i mostly worked for Irish Firms and yes most of the people i worked with managed to win a greencard some even got in so they could play sports!!! specifically the game with the hockey looking stick and a softball ( the name escapes me )

rob

[ladyboygrimsby]

Originally posted by der geile hund:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Rob.J:
quote:

Why aren't Brits allowed to enter the Green Card lottery? I thought every country on earth had its allotted number of annual Green Cards.

They have'nt been entered for years as apparently the quota of people who are allowed to legally work there via sponsership etc for the UK 50,000 i think is filled each year, whereas the other countries that are illegible to enter the lottery have not reached there allowed quota or something like that, although you'd think with all of the, ahem, assistance we've provided the USA, they would relax that somewhat...

This is one of my pet gripes, although i have now found someone willing to sponser me and my partner for either the USA or CANADA both are residents and family members.

I worked in the USA for 3yrs illegally doing general construction work and was paid pretty well, but i would have been up s h i t creek without a paddle if i had been injured

cheers

rob My understanding is that the setting of these quotas is profoundly political. Hence, all the drunk, worthless Irish dudes running around San Francisco - all the Irish senators (Kennedy et al) see to it that you have like a 50% chance of getting a Green Card if you're Irish. </font>[/QUOTE]I have no problem at all with other nationalities, Irish or elsewhere, having a crack at the Lottery, but it's pretty galling being excluded from the opportunity in the first place. The only people I know who've won one have had Irish passports, with one German friend winning a GC one year.

[der geile hund]

Originally posted by ladyboygrimsby:
I have no problem at all with other nationalities, Irish or elsewhere, having a crack at the Lottery, but it's pretty galling being excluded from the opportunity in the first place. The only people I know who've won one have had Irish passports, with one German friend winning a GC one year. Yes, that was gratuitous, but it is mainly an Irish thing: I know a group of 10 or so friends from Ireland who all applied right out of college, and half of them got it on the first try.

[Martin Red]

Originally posted by der geile hund:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Rob.J:
quote:

Why aren't Brits allowed to enter the Green Card lottery? I thought every country on earth had its allotted number of annual Green Cards.

They have'nt been entered for years as apparently the quota of people who are allowed to legally work there via sponsership etc for the UK 50,000 i think is filled each year, whereas the other countries that are illegible to enter the lottery have not reached there allowed quota or something like that, although you'd think with all of the, ahem, assistance we've provided the USA, they would relax that somewhat...

This is one of my pet gripes, although i have now found someone willing to sponser me and my partner for either the USA or CANADA both are residents and family members.

I worked in the USA for 3yrs illegally doing general construction work and was paid pretty well, but i would have been up s h i t creek without a paddle if i had been injured

cheers

rob My understanding is that the setting of these quotas is profoundly political. Hence, all the drunk, worthless Irish dudes running around San Francisco - all the Irish senators (Kennedy et al) see to it that you have like a 50% chance of getting a Green Card if you're Irish. </font>[/QUOTE]That sounds terribly racist.

[Sean G]

Originally posted by Rob.J:
When i lived in San Francisco, i mostly worked for Irish Firms and yes most of the people i worked with managed to win a greencard some even got in so they could play sports!!! specifically the game with the hockey looking stick and a softball ( the name escapes me )

rob Hurling my friend. Iomanaíocht in Irish (Gaeilge).

[Martin Red]

Originally posted by Rob.J:
When i lived in San Francisco, i mostly worked for Irish Firms and yes most of the people i worked with managed to win a greencard some even got in so they could play sports!!! specifically the game with the hockey looking stick and a softball ( the name escapes me )

rob hurling

[ September 03, 2003, 09:37 AM: Message edited by: Martin Red ]

[der geile hund]

Originally posted by Martin Red:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by der geile hund:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Rob.J:
quote:

Why aren't Brits allowed to enter the Green Card lottery? I thought every country on earth had its allotted number of annual Green Cards.

They have'nt been entered for years as apparently the quota of people who are allowed to legally work there via sponsership etc for the UK 50,000 i think is filled each year, whereas the other countries that are illegible to enter the lottery have not reached there allowed quota or something like that, although you'd think with all of the, ahem, assistance we've provided the USA, they would relax that somewhat...

This is one of my pet gripes, although i have now found someone willing to sponser me and my partner for either the USA or CANADA both are residents and family members.

I worked in the USA for 3yrs illegally doing general construction work and was paid pretty well, but i would have been up s h i t creek without a paddle if i had been injured

cheers

rob My understanding is that the setting of these quotas is profoundly political. Hence, all the drunk, worthless Irish dudes running around San Francisco - all the Irish senators (Kennedy et al) see to it that you have like a 50% chance of getting a Green Card if you're Irish. </font>[/QUOTE]That sounds terribly racist. </font>[/QUOTE]I suppose it does. The women were all cool, though.

[Martin Red]

Jolyon, leave you girl and marry a nice rich New York sex in the city broad, nah! high maintainance and mentally - graemlins/stupid.gif

graemlins/jpshakehead.gif

[ September 03, 2003, 09:42 AM: Message edited by: Martin Red ]

[Martin Red]

Originally posted by der geile hund:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Martin Red:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by der geile hund:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Rob.J:
quote:

Why aren't Brits allowed to enter the Green Card lottery? I thought every country on earth had its allotted number of annual Green Cards.

They have'nt been entered for years as apparently the quota of people who are allowed to legally work there via sponsership etc for the UK 50,000 i think is filled each year, whereas the other countries that are illegible to enter the lottery have not reached there allowed quota or something like that, although you'd think with all of the, ahem, assistance we've provided the USA, they would relax that somewhat...

This is one of my pet gripes, although i have now found someone willing to sponser me and my partner for either the USA or CANADA both are residents and family members.

I worked in the USA for 3yrs illegally doing general construction work and was paid pretty well, but i would have been up s h i t creek without a paddle if i had been injured

cheers

rob My understanding is that the setting of these quotas is profoundly political. Hence, all the drunk, worthless Irish dudes running around San Francisco - all the Irish senators (Kennedy et al) see to it that you have like a 50% chance of getting a Green Card if you're Irish. </font>[/QUOTE]That sounds terribly racist. </font>[/QUOTE]I suppose it does. The women were all cool, though. </font>[/QUOTE]Don't sound to bothered will you, look at it like this, how much FLACK would you catch for:


worthless Somalian dudes running around
worthless Arab dudes running around
worthless pakistani dudes running around
worthless nigerian dudes running around
etc
etc
etc
etc.

[Jolyon]

Originally posted by Martin Red:
Jolyon, leave you girl and marry a nice rich New York sex in the city broad, nah! high maintainance and mentally - graemlins/stupid.gif

graemlins/jpshakehead.gif My girl is a London sex in the city broad already. haha.

[Sean G]

Originally posted by der geile hund:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Rob.J:
quote:

Why aren't Brits allowed to enter the Green Card lottery? I thought every country on earth had its allotted number of annual Green Cards.

They have'nt been entered for years as apparently the quota of people who are allowed to legally work there via sponsership etc for the UK 50,000 i think is filled each year, whereas the other countries that are illegible to enter the lottery have not reached there allowed quota or something like that, although you'd think with all of the, ahem, assistance we've provided the USA, they would relax that somewhat...

This is one of my pet gripes, although i have now found someone willing to sponser me and my partner for either the USA or CANADA both are residents and family members.

I worked in the USA for 3yrs illegally doing general construction work and was paid pretty well, but i would have been up s h i t creek without a paddle if i had been injured

cheers

rob My understanding is that the setting of these quotas is profoundly political. Hence, all the drunk, worthless Irish dudes running around San Francisco - all the Irish senators (Kennedy et al) see to it that you have like a 50% chance of getting a Green Card if you're Irish. </font>[/QUOTE]Yeah, the stupid,drunken,worthless Irish ****s!

[domodisco]

Originally posted by Jolyon:
there's an outside chance i might be moving to NYC next year some time for a year or so, as my other half has the possibility of working for a magazine based in the city.

but...what i want to know is...how easy is it to get a job in nyc? and how expensive are new york rents - say compared to london? I pay £550 a month rent here now... Hey man, it would be cool to have you here! Your best bet is probably Brooklyn or Long Island City, tho. With a bit of looking and a few people keeping their eyes open for you it shouldn't be a problem. In my neighborhood (greenpoint, which is very close to manhattan, as is long island city) there are lots of fairly reasonably priced rentals - anywhere from $800 on up. Let me know if your plans become definite and I'll see what I can do to help. As for work, that can be a tricky one unless you have a business sponsor or work for an international corp...

[JMNYC]

you can find an apartment ... go to craigslist.org and put in a max rent of $1500 - you can still find an apartment but have to look outside downtown manhattan - brooklyn, harlem, upper east side, brooklyn, queens all have deals if you spend some time looking. As for a job, it ain't easy anywhere, and the compeition is serious here, but with proper planning, it can be done!

[D J 1 3 8]

what kind of work are you looking for?

[The Donger]

YO, hush up about LIC, I don't need the prices going up!

[Jolyon]

Originally posted by DJ 138:
what kind of work are you looking for? give me a job in a record store/record label for a year and i'd be happy...

tv/radio is my background (producer level) but that's not so easy to come by in another country i guess!

[The Donger]

send your resume to MTV.

[Bill Blake]

Timmy Richardson might be able to get you a gig at the Friday night male review at 2ii's.

[JoelS]

I lived during one year in NYC in 1999/2000. I used to pay $1500 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment in front of the Port Autority Bus Terminal (above the last peepshow on 42nd Street :D -in which I've never been inside :rolleyes: -) 2 persons could have easily lived in it.

Now, I wouldn't be able to live in such a noisy place, if I came back to NYC I would try to live in quiet part of Harlem (yes, even as a purely white Frenchman) or Queens or Brooklyn not too far from Manhattan.

If your wife come here as a non-immigrant worker, you'll be able to come with her. You might be allowed to do some limmitted work (more infos on http://www.bcis.gov some infos on http://www.americanvisa.com/ and in the newsgroups, do a search on google)

I just come back from vacation in Senegal and would rather move to Africa (especially that my GF is Senegalese) instead of such superficial places as Amerikkka and Noo Yawk Ceetee (yuk)

Peace,
Joël S.