Flake

thank you for your advice :-)

I thing we will ping pong forever, it's really hard when you feel like both countries are 'home' how can you ever choose which place is best? My OH is Australian so we literally have our family on each side, so that factor can't persuade.

Hi Billington22, Homesickness can work in much the same way as rose tinted spectacles, it can persuade thoughts and feelings in a direction you may not expect. I moved to Oz in 2009 and returned in 2012 due to my overwhelming homesickness, this topped with an illness within my immediate family I felt the only place I could ever be was in the UK. I am now in the UK ( have been here about 9 months) and I'm starting to get that original desire I had to go back to oz. I am neither pro UK or pro Australia but what I do admit is that my homesickness gave me a false perception on the reality of life in the UK. It's no worse than Australia but its no better either. Job satisfaction will play a massive part to how you feel across the board. Once you find the right job your feelings of homesickness will likely dissipate. I hope you find peace again and settle soon

Hey all, if we were to ship furniture and belongings to Oz, what's the general cost for a container? And is 1 container enough to ship furniture and house hold effects? Thanks!

crikey some of you lot really talk some BS. There are people on here with genuine issues regarding crossroads in their lives. This is not forum to ridicule people. its a forum for advice and sharing- not persecution. if you have nothing productive to say then don't bother- the only result will be judgement of you.

I can empathize with you completely. although directly not in the same situation as we don't have kids yet, we are also at a crossroads and like you, my OH earns a crazy amount more in OZ. We have only just returned to the UK and haven't even found jobs yet but its apparent that even when we do, it will only be a tiny percentage of what we were earning in oz. This does not change my feeling on the UK though, I want to make it work even if we earn less. I was very lonely in Australia and i really do not want to go back to that. My OH being an Aussie would obviously love it if i magically woke up one day wanting to go back, but i don't think that will happen. No one understands the stresses of an intercontinental relationship until they are in one.

Thank you, yes I think so. Lets hope 2013 shows more success! :-)

So I spent 3 years in OZ- was stressed the entire time due to work pressures (and the fact my visa meant I was imprisoned with my employer!) My OH is a Sydney born but being the gorgeous guy he is, came back to the UK with me on my wishes. I am now in terrible turmoil because we are finding it near impossible to find work! we have been here 6 months with no joy.... its very strange as my OH is an Insolvency Accountant- its a recession here- it should be a booming industry!! We are not based in London- I have a house in the South West that we are trying to sell, so long story short, Bristol was our hope for work... but its taking too long to get settled. We have to now make another move to London..... IF we can actually get jobs there!!?? In fairness we came back from OZ in a hurry as my sister was diagnosed with serious illness, but what I would say to anyone deciding to move back is that make sure you have a job lined up before you do it. It has cost us literally all of our savings to be here... with only a glimmer of hope it was actually worth it.

Heya, I love being back, although work opportunities a bit scarce which is stressful! Brought my Aussie OH back with me, don't think he likes it tbh, but I couldn't settle in OZ Either so just hoping we can come to some idea of compromise. I like OZ and could go back one day but only we had enough money to buy a house out there, without chaining ourselves to a gigantic mortgage, which would have to be at least a couple of decades away! For me Oz is a perfect place for holidays and extended stays ( I was there 3 years) but I couldn't see a long term future there, bit I will always love it's cosmopolitan vibe.

Thanks very much for your help! I managed to get through to the Australian immigration department in London ( after a seriously long wait time! ) who clarified things, I was seriously worried at one stage because my OH is an Aussie. So you returned to OZ? How long did you stay in the UK before heading back? Thanks again for your advice )

Hi everyone, I returned to the UK a couple of months ago. I was previously in Australia on the employer sponsorship visa 457. The Clause within this visa is that it is only valid while I currently work for the company that sponsored me. Upon my leaving the company, my employer explained that he is legally bound to advise the department of immigration about my choice to cease employment with them, and I have 28 days to leave the country ( i have confirmed they acted on this) I had thought that this process would in effect cancel the 457 visa. Recently I came to find that my visa had not been cancelled, ( which I needed it to be to claim my super fund) so I have followed the process in order to get the visa cancelled. Since the I have received my cancellation letter from the department of immigration and they have stated that due to the 28 day clause, I have breached the regulations and that if I were to try and enter Australia that I would be refused! Even thought I did leave the country within that time period. I need to know has anyone been in situation? If so, do you know if I should have cancelled the visa myself in this time period or whether leaving the country alone was enough? And that the wording they use in visa cancellations is just standard policy and doesn't literally mean that? Any advice would be greatly received! Thanks