Apply for citizenship before returning to UK?

Hi all,

I've been living in Australia with my wife for a little more than 3 years. We're both from the UK, and had never been to Australia before coming over here on a WHV and gaining PR on a 189 visa.

This past Christmas, my in-laws came to visit for about 6 weeks, and it really highlighted to us both how much we miss family. We have visited the UK once since we moved out, and that was only for a week. For everything this amazing country has to offer, it doesn't have family. If I'm honest, I've always felt a little unsettled here. I've not been able to put my finger on it. We both have great friends, good jobs and an awesome apartment in a fantastic location. But something is missing.

And with that, we're now giving serious thought to moving back to the UK in the next 12 to 18 months. We're thinking of this sort of timescale because we still want to explore more of Australia, New Zealand and we have to finish renovating and sell our apartment.

What we don't know is whether we should wait and apply for citizenship, before we leave?

Firstly it feels a little disingenuous to apply for citizenship when we know we plan to leave soon after. Although, we wouldn't rule out moving back at some point in the future - we'd like to keep that option open. Secondly, if we wait until we've been here for 4 years, and then apply, from what I've read it can take up to 6 months to get a citizenship ceremony, plus more time for a passport application to be processed.

What have other people done? Is it wrong to apply for citizenship, with the intention of moving back to the UK? If we want to return, would a residents return visa be enough to regain PR, 10 or 20 years from now?

Sorry for all of the questions. And if anyone else has any input on moving back, or what not, I would welcome your opinions and advice.

Cheers.

If you have even the slightest thought that you might want to come back, get citizenship before leaving.

Many people do just that so they can return on the future, and forums are also full of people who did not get it before leaving, later want to return and find they cannot get another skills visa as the rues have changed, they are too old etc etc

RRV-wise, although you might be able to get one to return on maybe 3-4 years, beynd that its extremely doubtfu you;d get anything. 10-20 years down the line, no chance.

Yes, apply, it's a no brainer.

Do what is right for yourselves. If you don't obtain citizenship, you will close the door after a few years and be unsettled in the UK IF you do decide to move back, because you will have at the back of your mind the 'if we don't return to Aus soon we won't be able to" niggle. Having the door always open via being citizens might put the ghost to rest, or when you're old and wrinkly you might retire to the sun?

if you've had 3 years here it should only be another 12 months before you can apply (check Diac but don't go on overseas holidays to ensure you make the time requirements etc.), depending on LG area, it might take a few months to process but it puts a pin in it, no need for visa/rrv/stress etc and if you have kids they get it too, giving them a future/options.

TL:DR - get citizenship before leaving.

Another vote for getting it. You won't regret the wait in the long run. You might regret not getting it in the future. Many have.

Technically it's wrong as you are required to state that you intend yo make Australia home, but having said that , it doesn't say in which decade :laugh: Do it and keep your options open, who knows what the future holds.

Personally get citizenship, even if decide you do not want to return. If you have children, they would also be entitled to Australian citizenship. Which would then give them options if they ever decided to take the plunge to move to Australia.

When we got our citizenship we had no thoughts of returning to the UK, those thoughts only came almost four years later. However, if we had been planning to return I would still have applied for citizenship before leaving. I would probably have felt like a bit of a fraud for doing so (after all, citizenship is about making a commitment to Australia), but I would have done it for our children because later in life they may want to live here and contribute to society and I felt that as parents it was our responsibility to make that as easy as possible for them. In fact, before we came over to Australia, OH and I decided that even if we hated it here we would stay for citizenship for the kids, so that they didn't have to jump through the hoops that we did to live here.

It probably sounds wrong, and I'm sure that others wouldn't agree with doing this or think that we're somehow cheating the system, but I don't see it that way. We are safeguarding the positions of potential future residents, who may well relocate to Australia and contribute fully to society.

As you have been here for three years I would stay and get your citizenship. You don't know what the future may bring. Always have a back up plan.

As for the passport. I applied for mine 25/1/2017 and received it 13/2/2017 so just over 2 weeks to get it bearing in mind Australia day and weekends. Not long at all.

Yep a no brainer, get citizenship. As for the moral dilemma of leaving soon after you get it so what? Whilst you won't be paying lots of lovely tax you won't be consuming any benefits either so you won't cost anything.

Will, just add, some councils will let you pay to do a quicker one off ceremony.

Passports can can be done very quickly. I got mine the morning after the ceremony.

Will, just add, some councils will let you pay to do a quicker one off ceremony.

 

Passports can can be done very quickly. I got mine the morning after the ceremony.

A few years ago we met a couple (both Brits) who had met and married in Oz, and had their kids there. Later moved back to UK. The kids had Australian citizenship by birth and eventually all settled there. so our friends decided to go back themselves, but we're too old to get any working visa and had to wait, and pay for a contributing parent visa. I would get citizenship before I left!

A few years ago we met a couple (both Brits) who had met and married in Oz, and had their kids there. Later moved back to UK. The kids had Australian citizenship by birth and eventually all settled there. so our friends decided to go back themselves, but we're too old to get any working visa and had to wait, and pay for a contributing parent visa. I would get citizenship before I left!

Thats such a common scenario that you see on forums, thats why I would always say get citizenship if you can before you leave.

Thank you everyone for your replies. Everything you've each said makes perfect sense and it seems that the consensus is entirely in favour of staying in Australia to gain citizenship before moving on.

For those that have moved back to the UK, or plan to do so, how did you decide where to live when you moved back? Obviously, proximity to family is very important, but having lived on the opposite side of the planet, anywhere in the UK is significantly closer.

Keen to hear your stories, if you're willing to share

For us it was work.

I am am now working and living in Scotland, which is no where near family and friends and not somewhere we had ever thought about. But, we are enjoying it.

Internal flights are very cheap and easy. For example, my wife's family are in London, and a flight to see them cam be as cheap as £13 from Glasgow. We have good friends in Leicester and drive down for a weekend. A decent hotel costs about £50 for both of us with the dog.

Hi all,

 

I've been living in Australia with my wife for a little more than 3 years. We're both from the UK, and had never been to Australia before coming over here on a WHV and gaining PR on a 189 visa.

 

This past Christmas, my in-laws came to visit for about 6 weeks, and it really highlighted to us both how much we miss family. We have visited the UK once since we moved out, and that was only for a week. For everything this amazing country has to offer, it doesn't have family. If I'm honest, I've always felt a little unsettled here. I've not been able to put my finger on it. We both have great friends, good jobs and an awesome apartment in a fantastic location. But something is missing.

 

And with that, we're now giving serious thought to moving back to the UK in the next 12 to 18 months. We're thinking of this sort of timescale because we still want to explore more of Australia, New Zealand and we have to finish renovating and sell our apartment.

 

What we don't know is whether we should wait and apply for citizenship, before we leave?

 

Firstly it feels a little disingenuous to apply for citizenship when we know we plan to leave soon after. Although, we wouldn't rule out moving back at some point in the future - we'd like to keep that option open. Secondly, if we wait until we've been here for 4 years, and then apply, from what I've read it can take up to 6 months to get a citizenship ceremony, plus more time for a passport application to be processed.

 

What have other people done? Is it wrong to apply for citizenship, with the intention of moving back to the UK? If we want to return, would a residents return visa be enough to regain PR, 10 or 20 years from now?

 

Sorry for all of the questions. And if anyone else has any input on moving back, or what not, I would welcome your opinions and advice.

 

Cheers.

Hi there,

From reading your post, there are quite a few similarities in your situation and ours. We too have good jobs, a great apartment in a fantastic location but not too many friends here. We too have made the decision to move back to the UK and have given our self-12 months to do it, but in all reality it may take longer.

We go back to the UK every year and love our time there. We have been out here nearly 6 years and do not feel settled. This is just our opinion and is what we have done and would do if we were in your position.

Firstly, with regards to applying citizenship and getting the passport, do it. Do not worry about the thought of leaving soon after. You have done a little more than three years, so why not get the passport. From what you say applying for it, would fit into the timelines you have. We have the passports and the good thing is that we (and you if you get them) will always have the option to come back as and when you want. There will be no worrying about visa and if ‘a resident’s return visa be enough to regain PR, 10 or 20 years from now’. You can come and go as you want. We know people who said they would never return and a year or two down the line they wish they had got the passport as they want to come back.

You say that you are going to do your place up before you sell it. We have decided to try and rent our place out when we move. This way we will have a place to come back too, if we do decide to return in a few years. We just need to sort out the rental of it and get a bit of money in the bank to cover any costs. If you do sell, what are the chances of getting back on the property ladder (with the way house prices are going up) if you do return. If you have not got a place of your own to return too, the options when you come back are renting or hotels. Both of which are very costly.

We had our citizenship ceremony and passports processed very quick.

Yep, this is a no brainer. Wait & get your citizenship, all about keeping your options open and providing options for your kids/future kids.

I was planning on moving back to Dublin in 2006, needed to wait a further 6 months for citizenship and did so. Got my citizenship and passport and moved home in 2007. Wasn't planning on coming back in the short-medium term. The crash happened in Ireland, the bank I worked for closed and there was no work available. Made the decision to move back for work and came back in 2011 for good.

Even if I hadn't moved back in 2011, I would always have had the option and my kids would have had options too. The way the world is going, it isn't going to get any easier or cheaper to gain rights to live and work legally in another jurisdiction. Take the opportunity while you can. For a few hundred $ and a year, it's definitely worth it

Technically it's wrong as you are required to state that you intend yo make Australia home, but having said that , it doesn't say in which decade :laugh: Do it and keep your options open, who knows what the future holds.

If not for yourself ...for your children .

It keeps their options open ....

Its the greatest gift ...giving them choice .

We did the reverse... Met hubby (Australian) in UK, lived there 15 yrs paid xx on visas and indefinite leave to remain. Always knew we'd like to try Oz for us n kids. Thankfully discovered before we left that hubby's visa wd be null n void for UK after returning here /difficult to get renewed and costly. So he applied for UK citizenship and got passport. Plan is for me to do at least 4yrs here n get passport/citizenship and can choose wherever we want to be.

Location in UK, depends on work preferred weather and what you like doing in spare time.

Friend also staying to get citizenship here but doesn't know where to next

good of luck and enjoy travelling the next while xx

ps friends become family but yes it's different. I have in laws but also different... My parents wd happily see us a few days a week, when we see in laws here they say cu in a few weeks.... Lol

Thank you everyone for your replies. Everything you've each said makes perfect sense and it seems that the consensus is entirely in favour of staying in Australia to gain citizenship before moving on.

 

For those that have moved back to the UK, or plan to do so, how did you decide where to live when you moved back? Obviously, proximity to family is very important, but having lived on the opposite side of the planet, anywhere in the UK is significantly closer.

 

Keen to hear your stories, if you're willing to share

We are moving back next week and not from where we came from. We have family in Derbyshire so have picked that as a starting point on the map and literally drawn a circle around it with Derbyshire being in the middle! My husband is looking for jobs in a radius of X amount of miles from the centre of the circle. We are avoiding the commuter belt of London and the SE for obvious reasons!

But it is true that anywhere in the U.K. is closer than here!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you everyone for your replies. Everything you've each said makes perfect sense and it seems that the consensus is entirely in favour of staying in Australia to gain citizenship before moving on.

 

For those that have moved back to the UK, or plan to do so, how did you decide where to live when you moved back? Obviously, proximity to family is very important, but having lived on the opposite side of the planet, anywhere in the UK is significantly closer.

 

Keen to hear your stories, if you're willing to share

We fully intended to return to the South West were we had lived before but we saw a photo of a house in Herefordshire and drove up to have a look, our kids loved it so we bought it, it was really that simple. It's a lovely area and we all love it here and we are still close enough to friends in the SW.

From reading your post, there are quite a few similarities in your situation and ours. We too have good jobs, a great apartment in a fantastic location but not too many friends here. We too have made the decision to move back to the UK and have given our self-12 months to do it, but in all reality it may take longer.

Do you know why it is that you don't feel settled? Is it having too few friends? Missing family?

Firstly, with regards to applying citizenship and getting the passport, do it.

We've decided that we're definitely going to get passports before we leave. As everyone has said, it keeps that door open permanently, which is good to know, because one of our greatest concerns is regretting our decision to return.

You say that you are going to do your place up before you sell it. We have decided to try and rent our place out when we move. This way we will have a place to come back too, if we do decide to return in a few years. We just need to sort out the rental of it and get a bit of money in the bank to cover any costs. If you do sell, what are the chances of getting back on the property ladder (with the way house prices are going up) if you do return. If you have not got a place of your own to return too, the options when you come back are renting or hotels. Both of which are very costly.

I don't think renting our apartment is an option. As amazing as it is, where the rental return would likely cover the mortgage, it wouldn't cover the body corporate or rates. So we'd have to pay those out of pocket every year. Not to mention, it'd tie up the money we'd use for a house deposit.

That being said, they are building a huge number of apartments in Brisbane at the moment, so if we cannot achieve what we paid for our apartment, plus hopefully the money we've spent renovating it, we'll likely keep a hold of it for a couple of years until we'd be ready to buy in the UK again.

Yep, this is a no brainer. Wait & get your citizenship, all about keeping your options open and providing options for your kids/future kids.

 

I was planning on moving back to Dublin in 2006, needed to wait a further 6 months for citizenship and did so. Got my citizenship and passport and moved home in 2007. Wasn't planning on coming back in the short-medium term. The crash happened in Ireland, the bank I worked for closed and there was no work available. Made the decision to move back for work and came back in 2011 for good.

 

Even if I hadn't moved back in 2011, I would always have had the option and my kids would have had options too. The way the world is going, it isn't going to get any easier or cheaper to gain rights to live and work legally in another jurisdiction. Take the opportunity while you can. For a few hundred $ and a year, it's definitely worth it

Are you happy with your decision to move back permanently? Do you miss Ireland at all?

I'm not sure we could move somewhere simply because we liked the house. But good on you for being so spontaneous.

When we move back, it'll need to be somewhere with a good digital industry, as that's what we both do for work. We're thinking Portsmouth at the moment, as I have lived there before and very much liked the small city vibe, being near the sea, plus it has great connections to London.