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Working in the USA

The information on this page is provided as an aid to members seeking to work in the USA. The New England Network of the IET does not claim, nor accept responsibility for ensuring, that the information provided here is complete or necessarily up to date.

The information on this page consists of pointers to information sources that our local members have found useful from time to time. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all the things you should consider when seeking employment in the USA. Some of the directly relevant documents are available for download on this site to facilitate access. These documents change frequently and you should obtain the most recent copy from the originating authority before making decisions based on this information. You may require a Portable Document Format (PDF) Reader to view these publications.

The British Government in the United States.

A good place to start looking for information about Britain and the USA. is the official web site of the British Government in the United States at BritainUSA.com. In addition to general interest information it specifically provides information about British Visa, Passport and Other Consular Services. Included is information about passport renewal (with notes), registering an overseas birth, dual nationality from the UK perspective and the location of consulates. The New England region is served by the British Consulate-General, Boston, Massachusetts. Members in the western part of the New England Network's area of coverage will find the British Consulate-General, New York, NY to be more appropriate.

Foreign nationals working in the USA.

There are legal requirements on foreign nationals working in the USA. A variety of visas permit certain types of study or work, a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) provides more flexibility and ultimately US citizenship may be available if that is right for you. In the US these matters are the responsibility of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. If you are presently in the UK you may obtain information about immigration and visas or green cards from the American Embassy in London. Applicants for visas, green cards or citizenship must meet appropriate requirements and significant time is involved so you should plan ahead. The Social Security Administration has a summary of the visa types that they routinely accept as an authorization to work in the USA.

Under virtually all circumstances, working in the USA will incur an obligation to file tax forms with the Internal Revenue Service. These circumstances are described in the large document, Publication 519. Chapter 1 explains how to determine your status for tax purposes. This changes each year so you should obtain the latest version from the Internal Revenue Service. In order to file any tax form you will need to acquire a Social Security card and number from the Social Security Administration. This number is used in all transactions with, or that may subsequently involve, the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, or many other Federal Government bodies. This includes, but is not limited to, employment, health care, opening most bank accounts, or engaging in any activity where income may be derived. Obtaining a card and number is not limited to US citizens and the Social Security Administration's Publication 10002 tells you how to obtain your card and number and how to protect it. Recently identity theft, based on knowing someone's social security number, has increased substantially. In the past your social security number has been required by many businesses to verify identity and many still ask for it. You are under no obligation to disclose it and in many cases alternatives can be agreed. However, they are under no obligation to do business with you if you refuse to provide it.

Being a non-resident of the UK does not necessarily obviate the need to pay UK taxes. A tax treaty exists between the UK and the USA that may offer protection against double taxation in many cases. HM Revenue & Customs provides Form US/Individual 2002 which, when filed with Form 8802 from the Internal Revenue Service, is a necessary first step in determining if you qualify for UK tax relief.

Living and working in the USA for any significant length of time will affect your Health and Pension entitlements in the UK. The extent of this effect and what you can do to maximize and maintain your lifetime benefits will depend on your individual situation. The two places to start are the UK Department for Work and Pensions and the USA Social Security Administration. In particular both these places provide information about the agreement between the USA and the UK that maintains your rights to some benefits that are based on the insurance you have paid. While you should check with the appropriate administration for the latest information, the concise explanations in UK Leaflet SA 33 and the USA Publication 10045 are available here.

Maintaining contact with your home country.

As a UK national living overseas you may wish to maintain contact with your home country through the media. The BBC is available on the Internet. You may listen to live radio broadcasts or watch the TV news or sports using streaming media if your system is set appropriately. The US Public Television Service includes many adult and children's programs from the UK within their own programming. The BBC World Service Radio is also available on some Public Television Channels using the SAP feature. WGBH Channel 2 SAP provides this feature for the Boston area. Sirius Satellite Radio carries BBC Radio One (with a five hour time lag) and the BBC World Service. Both are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the USA.