USC Alumni Club of London

As the finest city in the world, London is a wonderful place to live and work, and we highly encourage you to spend time here.  While the club cannot provide you with active assistance in finding a job, getting a work visa or arranging the logistics of a move to the UK,  we can offer a host of links to resources for many of the matters discussed above. The USC Alumni Club of London is an organization run by volunteers, and one of the best ways to learn more about living in London is to attend one of the club events and network with fellow Trojans.

.

Work Visas and Eligibility

The most significant consideration for Americans contemplating a move to London, aside from “Where will I get decent Mexican food?”, is work authorization.  Many members of our club transferred to the UK with their companies or came to study, however there are several avenues for Americans to get authorization to work in the UK

Highly Skilled Workers: Following Australia’s lead, the UK has recently moved to a points based scheme to attract highly skilled migrants.  You earn points based on your education levels, previous earnings, age (extra points if you are under 31) and previous work/education experience in the UK.  For more information,

Post-Study Worker: If you do not qualify has a highly skilled worker, one of the easiest ways for Americans to qualify for a work visa in the UK is to pursue a Masters degree in the UK and then apply for the post-study visa program.  You can find a plethora of programs at the University of London (or even at Oxford and Cambridge if you fancy spending some time in the countryside.)  For more on educational opportunities in London, see Studying in London

Other Visa Schemes: For information about other visa schemes and more information about working in the UK, please see the Home Office’s webpage.

Advice on Moving and Life in London

For advice, questions and queries about life in or moving to England, we recommend checking out:

• UK Yankee
• American Expats in the UK
• Focus - This site requires a subscription, but offers personal and professional expertise on a range of services to help expatriates live and work successfully in the UK