If I get Alberta nomination before June, that would be great. I will be able to continue through CIC Vienna in Austria. I am not giving up on Alberta. Its just that I have to leave US before the end of this year, and Alberta is so slow.....
No one knows what future holds, so you make decisions based on what's available to you at the moment. We may not even go to Alberta in the end, or we may not even like UK.
Tier 1 visa - general is a point based system visa. I guess you would call it a work visa for highly skilled workers. It is a much much better visa than H1 in US. Tier 1 general allows great mobility. It is not based on employer or even having to stay in your field. You dont even have to have a job offer to qualify.
You qualify for tier 1 based on education, age, salary level, english language, and savings. I did not score anything on age but had enough on education and salary to qualify as well as proof for language test, and savings statements.
My wife also got tier 1 partner visa. We are both free to live and work for any employer in UK, or start our own business. The only restriction is - no access to public funds and if on tier 1 - no work is allowed as doctor in training. And we earn our time towards citizenship.
Though London is an expensive city, I calculated its not much more than living in Washington DC (our current residence). And we will be closer to our families in eastern Europe.
UK taxes are higher but they have universal health care so if you are unnemployed you dont have to worry about being ill and not being able to get medical care.