I wanna go home

[AngeB]

Hi All!

 

I really want to move back to the UK after 11 years living in Western Australia,, and I really don't know where to start or know of any rules or regulations I need to follow.

 

It's just myself, my grown up daughter, a dog and 5 cats that need to go home.

 

I'm not sure where to begin, can anyone give me a step in the right direction please?

 

Many thanks in advance

 

AngeB

[Littlemo]

Hi Ange,

 

i presume you you are a british citizen? If so, there are no rules!

for your pets, contact jet pets and get a quote for taking them home. It isn't cheap!

[VERYSTORMY]

As above. If British, then it is just a matter of buying plane tickets. For pets, another good one to speak to is Pet Air - Bob who runs it is a vet and a regular poster on here

[AngeB]

I am a British citizen, great news there are no rules. So I can just arrange to move back then without declaring to authorities? I didn't think the animals would be cheap to ship over, this could be the biggest problem. Also, does anyone know about any quarantine for animals from Oz to UK??

[AngeB]

Thanks Verystormy, I'll keep looking on here to get some advice and ideas. It's a pretty scary move!

[Guest]

Providing the correct process is followed there is no quarantine for dogs or cats from Australia - the cats will be around $3k each

[Guest]

You will need a British passport if yours has expired (& annoyingly an Australian one too if you're a citizen - if you're not make sure you are before you leave - never say never!)

[Guest]

Oh and do be aware you will need to be in the UK 3-6 months before you'd be entitled to any benefits (not that it sounds like you'd need them but families used to child benefit, tax credits etc. have been caught out). You have to be 'habitually resident' before you can get anything

[Johndoe]

being a mercenary practical b@stard I would be asking myself how much would some furry animals impact on my future happiness and stability?

 

If you're financially comfortable, then consider shipping them

 

If you're not, then still consider shipping them bearing in mind how much you would miss being without them

 

If you're barely surviving, which may be one of the reasons for your return, then consider having them adopted...............a good home here may be preferabele to you eeking out a living in the UK because you had spent all your savings on getting them back

 

I'm sorry..............I know how much folk love and invest in their pets..................but they will be long gone whilst you are still struggling to pay off what they have cost you (and your family and future) and I'm an ex memeber of border collie rescue who left his two back in the UK

[Quoll]

Yup, pack and go, basically with your UK passport in your hot clammy little hand. Im in the Johndoe camp of animals - unless you're rolling in cash could you rehome them?

[Danny842003]

You say you want to move home which is a fair comment but have you been home recently? A lot changes in 11 years.

[jeffcaz02]

Evening from here in the uk, its going to cost an awfull lot of money, im looking at coming the other way with a shih tzu, got a quote frm transfur £4000 approx I was amazed and that was in a cat crate darling if you can id find foster homes for them. No onecan do more than €20, 000 to transfer pets. Its also 10days in quarantine in adelaide so I expect it could be around that coming back. The UKis a very different place from 11yrs ago so id think hard, theres alot of migration from eastern Europe, which in turn has meant employers take advantage of paying them below minimum wages, its not there fault but as a result people get paid alot lower than 10yrs ago in work in particular the service industries and a lot of anger from certain communities as theyve real issues as a direct result.. NHS has lots of problems too ... definatly the uk is a different place... so much so why alot of uk citizens emigrate themselves.

Good luck for the future and I hope you get everything you wish for

[MelanieJS]

Jeffcaz: I'm sending my two shih tzu dogs to Australia with Airpets and I have been quoted just over £3k for both together. £4k seems a lot.

[newjez]

Dog yes. Cats are tarts - they will go with whoever feeds them. You'll miss them much more than they will miss you.

 

Plus you do need to notify the authorities - tax, health etc on both sides.

[Guest]

Dog yes. Cats are tarts - they will go with whoever feeds them. You'll miss them much more than they will miss you.

 

Plus you do need to notify the authorities - tax, health etc on both sides.

 

We didn't inform anyone - we filled in our final AU tax return and simply ticked the box saying it was the last one. Didn't tell Medicare although we did suspend our PHI - obviously didn't want to keep paying and it is better to suspend rather than cancel.

 

We didn't tell notify anyone we were back - we just went to the local Dr. and registered (turned out my OH and son were still registered anyway!) and when we started work we simply used our NI numbers and that kicked things off tax wise.

 

I'm not saying we did things right but we've had no problems.

[CJT]

I know how you feel I have been in Aus since 1993. I loved it over here, met my wife had children etc...BUT we have been back to the UK twice in the last two years to visit family and relatives and I now feel really homesick and unsettled. It is not pleasant to feel like you don't fit in here anymore. I miss family, castles, old buildings, European history, (did I mention family?), the seasons, proper beer in a proper pub in front of a real fire.

I hate feeling like someone is pointing a blowtorch at my skin whenever I go out in the sun because of its intensity, yes I know about sun block blah blah blah but try getting your teenager kids interested in putting the stuff on when your back is turned. I will feel personally responsible if they get skin cancers in the future. I don't like sand in my sandwiches. I would so much rather look at a pretty thatched country farmhouse than an opulent modern soulless monstrosity in Vaucluse with "Sea views". The saying you can take a person out of a country, but not the country out of the person is so true... I guess that makes me a whinging homesick Pomm.....

[Keith and Linda]

I know how you feel I have been in Aus since 1993. I loved it over here, met my wife had children etc...BUT we have been back to the UK twice in the last two years to visit family and relatives and I now feel really homesick and unsettled. It is not pleasant to feel like you don't fit in here anymore. I miss family, castles, old buildings, European history, (did I mention family?), the seasons, proper beer in a proper pub in front of a real fire.

I hate feeling like someone is pointing a blowtorch at my skin whenever I go out in the sun because of its intensity, yes I know about sun block blah blah blah but try getting your teenager kids interested in putting the stuff on when your back is turned. I will feel personally responsible if they get skin cancers in the future. I don't like sand in my sandwiches. I would so much rather look at a pretty thatched country farmhouse than an opulent modern soulless monstrosity in Vaucluse with "Sea views". The saying you can take a person out of a country, but not the country out of the person is so true... I guess that makes me a whinging homesick Pomm.....

 

Man:hug:

[AngeB]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Johndoe, not even do-able adopting them out. They are my family now and I've made a committment to care for them for their whole lives. Just like I couldn't adopt out human children, thanks for your input though. If cost of transport is extortionate then I may have to stay in Oz - Ah well, it could be worse, I suppose!

[AngeB]

I hear ya CJT - ahhhhhhhhhhh English pubs and countryside, I miss it so much

[AngeB]

My cats are tarts but would not be happy with other people, had a week away recently and they were all over the place apparently, wouldn't leave us alone when we got back

[AngeB]

Thanks Jeffcaz, This is good feedback. I've been away from UK for 11 years and it must have changed so much. Maybe I need a top up holiday to see how my county is looking.

[AngeB]

You're right, I need to go and check it out first don't I

[BacktoDemocracy]

I know how you feel I have been in Aus since 1993. I loved it over here, met my wife had children etc...BUT we have been back to the UK twice in the last two years to visit family and relatives and I now feel really homesick and unsettled. It is not pleasant to feel like you don't fit in here anymore. I miss family, castles, old buildings, European history, (did I mention family?), the seasons, proper beer in a proper pub in front of a real fire.

I hate feeling like someone is pointing a blowtorch at my skin whenever I go out in the sun because of its intensity, yes I know about sun block blah blah blah but try getting your teenager kids interested in putting the stuff on when your back is turned. I will feel personally responsible if they get skin cancers in the future. I don't like sand in my sandwiches. I would so much rather look at a pretty thatched country farmhouse than an opulent modern soulless monstrosity in Vaucluse with "Sea views". The saying you can take a person out of a country, but not the country out of the person is so true... I guess that makes me a whinging homesick Pomm.....

 

I would do an extended visit on your own and check how the work prospects look, go and see some recruitment agents and see where jobs are because most are now around london and check out house prices and also explore the implications for pensions vis a vis ni contributions because you will not be able to claim an oz pension nor will you be able to access your super until your vesting age which varies, check it out nor can you transfer it until it is vested.

We came back for similar reasons but it worked for us financially as I'd retired and i'd kept on paying NI and my pension in the uk was in payment and is now uprated for inflation.

I am glad to be back for all the reasons you gave but the winters are vile and the housing is ridiculously expensive for what you get, but driving standards are better, at least here in the sticks.

Edited April 2, 2015 by BacktoDemocracy

[Bungo]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Johndoe, not even do-able adopting them out. They are my family now and I've made a committment to care for them for their whole lives. Just like I couldn't adopt out human children, thanks for your input though. If cost of transport is extortionate then I may have to stay in Oz - Ah well, it could be worse, I suppose!

 

I recently moved back with 3 cats and it cost AU$4,000 for the three of them, including one week of boarding before the flight and door to door collection and delivery. Still pretty expensive but not the $9,000 someone has suggested it would be.

 

And anyone that says cats don't get attached to their owner just doesn't know cats do they? :smile:

[Marisawright]

Thanks Jeffcaz, This is good feedback. I've been away from UK for 11 years and it must have changed so much. Maybe I need a top up holiday to see how my county is looking.

 

I'm not sure that's necessary. If you've got a tight budget, a holiday is going to eat up the money you could otherwise spend on moving your animals.

 

I think what you need to do is ask yourself WHY you are unhappy in Oz? What are the specific reasons? It may be hard to pin down but this is a big decision - force yourself! Write them down.

 

Now ask yourself, will these problems still exist in the UK? Will moving to the UK make things better?

 

If you have good, logical reasons for thinking they will, then it's probably still worth going. Every place has its pros and cons so even if the UK has collected a few more, they may not outweigh what's drawing you home.

 

However the other thing you need to do is draw up a budget. The cost of air fares for you and your pets is the least of it. What will you do with your belongings? It will cost you thousands whatever you do: either you pay the cost to ship the lot, or you sell everything (usually for peanuts) - in which case you'll need to replace everything when you get back to the UK (or some combination of the two). Are you renting or do you own your house? Look at the cost of selling - what will you be left with? Enough to buy a new home in your preferred area of the UK?

 

Will you have the money to survive while you look for jobs? Do you have family you could stay with until you've got a wage coming in?

 

How old are you? How much have you paid in NI contributions - enough to get the UK pension when you retire? Can you afford to pay back contributions? Will it worry you that you won't be able to get the Australian state pension in your old age?

 

Moving will be expensive even though there are few formalities to go through. Once you've worked out what you don't like about where you are now (where is that BTW?), the other alternative you could consider is moving somewhere else in Australia. Different parts of Oz are more different than you think. and different cities suit different people. For instance I love Sydney but would not live in Perth if you paid me - whereas I have a friend who loathed Sydney and thinks Perth is the bee's knees.

 

Moving your furniture within Australia is expensive, but at least you'd save money on air fares, and you'd probably drive your pets in your own car, even if it meant crossing the Nullarbor.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Marisawright