Did your position go through the labuour market test? Did your employer sponsor your visa?

Yes, they did. They have to since SLTs are not on the shortage list (see my response to /u/2ster)

Would you mind saying what region you are in (NE, NW, etc)?

I'm in the southeast. It's nice because I'm not far from London and a lot of the most famous sights. I could be in Paris in 3-4 hours. My weekends have been very exciting lately!

Did you have any specialized certifications or experiences that may have helped your job search?

Good question!!

• I had spent all my career since graduation working with adults. This is a good thing in the UK. They aren't as flexible with people switching between pediatrics and adult speech therapy. They're more likely to value focused experience rather than broad experience.
• It was a very good thing that I had FEES experience. It would have helped if I had more MBS experience (which they call videofluoroscopy here).
• My VitalStim training was completely useless as they don't do it here at all.
• Having experience in acute care, especially with tracheostomy and intensive care, would have been good. I didn't have much of this though, and I got the job anyway. (Keep in mind most jobs available to Americans will be in acute care, as most rehab/SNF involvement is done by community therapists who need to be able to drive a car and make their way around the community, which would be pretty difficult for someone fresh from the states.)
• It helped that I had been involved in some supervision of students and teaching of in-services for nurses. They have a checklist of qualities they need to offer you the appropriate salary, and teaching/supervision is one of them for Band 6, the level you'll get if you have at least 3 years experience.

I've seen a couple large Recruiting agencies online that supposedly place US SLPs in the UK - do you know anything about them?

I'm afraid I don't--my recruiter just kind of fell in my lap by recommendation and I didn't shop around at all! PM me if you want her contact info.

I've been scouring the Internet looking for someone with first-hand experience, so I can't thank you enough!

No problem! Don't be afraid to ask any further questions if you think of them, or if I need to clarify/expound.