Pros :: Cons

I don't know about you all, but I am a LIST MAKER. I currently have 63 notes in my phone and I just downloaded a new app for my watch for making lists. 

Ed has officially been in the US for 10 months today. 
So, here is a list my husband and I came up with. This is a pros and cons list for having a Green Card in America. 


Pros:

• Ability to work in the US: This doesn't mean you will get a job or that it will be easy to find one. But, it means you are legally hirable. 
• Able to get a drivers license in the US: You don't have to rely on public transportation or others to get you around. We live in an area where public transportation isn't super convenient or affordable. So, this was important. 
• Sense of achievement: It is a long and difficult (plus expensive!) task. So, when you finally get approval it is a pretty great feeling. 

Cons: 

• Taxes: Not only paying taxes on what he earns here (totally get that), but if he earns a certain amount or has a certain amount in the bank abroad we will be taxed on that. Not only from the UK but here as well. This also  includes any inheritance he may receive in the future. 
• Lack of Flexibility: We used to be able to travel wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Now we have to be careful with how much time we spend overseas. This means we are limited in the time we can spend with his family. It also means if/when we are offered job opportunities we need to consider his residency obligations in the States. 
• Healthcare: HOLY BUCKETS, it's expensive. We pay every month/pay check to have health insurance and yet when we go to the doctor we still have to pay quite a lot. I got a sinus infection a few months back and on top of my health insurance costs, I still paid around $200. Coming from a country with free health care, this was quite shocking for my husband. 

These are the main pros and cons we wanted to share with you today. There may be more for you or less depending on where you are coming from. But, this is how WE currently feel about having permanent residency. We decided to apply for the green card after having visited for one summer. We don't mean to be down on the US. It's just that its a very different lifestyle than we were used to. It's also very hard to "get settled" here. We thought this was something that we wanted. But, it seems like we miss the flexibility of our old life.  If we want that again while living here, we are going to have to wait a long LONG time (or win the lottery). We are lucky to have had this experience and to have had such supportive (amazing, wonderful, loving) family to help us along the way. It hasn't been a great one for us. But, thats ok. We aren't going to sit around and complain though. We are looking into different options for our future. This has been a learning experience and has made us better, stronger people. We know that whatever life throws at us, we will get through it together.