Moving to Scotland...a few questions

Hi Reacher; you've asked this question elsewhere in the Forum, but I'll repeat the answer here.  The UK no longer issues retirement visas for anybody; your only chance is if you have close family already living there.  I'm afraid that "friends" don't count in that regard.

Hi Cynic so there is no way we can live the rest of our lives in Scotland? You would think they would like retired people spending all their money there for 15 or 20 years.

Yeah forget the retirement visa   How do Americans live there for years? This is an expat forum I presume of some Americans who live there right?

Well, until fairly recently, they used to offer retirement visa's for people just like yourself; but immigration became a very touchy subject in UK and it was a simple thing the politicians could do that would earn them votes and not piss-off potential voters.  It's so recent that there are people who had applied but not finished the process when they announced it, that are still being allowed to complete the process.

Speaking as a US citizen currently living in the UK, you need to have close family living in the UK (my mom is English and lived in the UK).  Other ways are assuming you have the desired skills to get a job here, to come to the UK to work, do your 5-years to get residency, then at the end, apply for leave to remain in the UK after that; but be warned, they can reject you at the end of the process and you'll have to go back to the US.

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but that's the way it is I'm afraid.

Reacher wrote:

Yeah forget the retirement visa   How do Americans live there for years? This is an expat forum I presume of some Americans who live there right?

One last thing; have you considered Ireland?  I have no idea if you qualify, but should you gain Irish citizenship, you would have the right to enter the UK.