Sarahelle

Really?? I thought as a British Citizen you were entitled to it automatically? What about all the previous years you've paid NI, do they count for squat?? This sucks and the rules are getting more and more utterly ridiculous.

I agree, it's ridiculously over complicated. In my case it would be me who would have to get employment but my partner is the higher wage earner. Maybe it will end up so incredibly complicated that they'll have to scrap it and start from scratch but that's probably just wishful thinking on my part. I never ever dreamed it would be so difficult for me to return home with my Aus partner and if I had done my research properly I would have made him get British citizenhip which he would have been entitled to apply for. Bugger.

Would Miss: - My fiance's family - The beautiful scenery - Free parking! Wouldn't Miss: - The unbearable heat/humidity - Bloody BBQ's, especially at Christmas - Feeling homesick

I looked into this because we're in the same situation - my fiance lived and worked in the UK for 8 years and had ILR. It seems though, that it is too good to be true because whiile we hit all of those stipulations they also state that you must have 'Signifcant ties to the UK' and having a UK spouse and children is not enough. I believe there are people that have applied for this visa but it's almost never granted. I was very excited when I found this visa and then had my bubble burst too! It seems silly that someone who already had ILR and contributed to the UK for years has the door slammed in their face if they want to return.. However, there's nothing to stop you from applying - who knows, you may be successful, but like I said, I've been told the chances are pretty slim. Good luck with what you decide to do and let us know how you get on x

Sorry Aunt A, I missed this! Yes, I'd have to go to the UK and get a job for six months or whatever, which I wouldn't have minded doing - what's a few months in the long run? But now I have a 10 month old daughter and I would hate to deprive her and her daddy from being together. I guess we'll see what happens.

Many things, but Christmas mostly. I hope every year to get home for it and never do, this coming one will be my 5th here and I haven't once even felt remotely 'Christmassy'!

Thank you for your advice lovely people. Sorry for the delay, time gets away from me with a little one. Well my OH and I have talked about it and agree that we will move back eventually. Everything is kind of hanging in the balance at the moment as to whether we're able to move back or not - if we have the money or if maybe somewhere along the line, the rules get relaxed making it easier for people with non EU spouses to move back to their homeland. Mum and Dad have been over but I'm really hankering for a visit to the UK as well. I guess I'll just have to suck it up for the time being and hopefully save for a decent length holiday back home Thanks guys x

I'm sorry this is going to be such a negative post, but I really need to vent. I have a history of depression from my early 20's and I haven't had a re-occurrence since then (I'm 37) but I really feel like my anxiety is starting to creep back again. I'm becoming increasingly more homesick and starting to dislike Oz more and more. Every day I think about how my life used to be before I came here - I was happy, lovely friends, nice job and my family around me and now I just feel trapped and stifled. I seem to just exist here and I hate it so much. I want to go home so badly. I was hoping to go for Christmas but we just can't afford it. My oh knows I'm homesick but I don't think he realises to what extent because I don't like to make him feel any worse for bringing me here. Him being Australian means I'm stuck here for God knows how long and I don't know if I can handle it. Been here 4 years next month so don't think I'm going to 'settle'. Don't think I'm slating Australia, I'm not, it's just not where I want to be. Thanks for listening!

Well, each to their own. I personally could write a list of things I don't like about Oz, but then never really wanted to the leave the UK in the first place, indeed if I had a crystal ball, for a hundred reasons I would have firmly dug my heals in to stay. But home is where the heart is, so good luck with your return

I did no research at all. My partner (Australian) said hey, let's move to Australia!...and so we did. Like you Pommie1, got here in 2010 with what I thought were substantial savings and it all went pretty quickly - not helped by having to pay $2,500 for my visa. We've pretty much been living from pay check to pay check for nearly 4 years now and I've had enough of it. Even with both of us working it's been hard and we so far haven't managed to save any money. I know for many people, the move to Australia has been a happy and successful one, but not for us. I would definitely urge anyone thinking of relocating here to very seriously think about what it means for them. I wish I had. Yes, I am a whinging pom

Me too.

Yes, unfortunately Quoll is correct, you, as the British Citizen are the one who needs to support your husband on return. But, I believe that it may not mean you having to leave him here, you can go together as long as you have a job offer which is due to begin within 3 months of your arrival in the UK but still earning the 18.5k, or indeed if you happen to have that ridiculous amount 62.k in the pot you don't need a job offer. They've made it head scratchingly complicated. Even if you are granted a spouse visa you have to apply again in another 2.5 years and your hubby is not entitled to ILR until you have been settled in the UK for 5 years. I've done a lot of research on this as my OH is Australian. He actually had UK ILR, I kick myself all the time knowing he could have applied for citizenship before we left and now he's lost it, hence we're going to have to do the spouse visa somehow. Good luck with your quest!

Thanks Chicken66 I didn't mean to sound offensive to Australia because it is a beautiful place and I realise I am lucky to live here, it's just not where my heart is. How are you getting on with your quest to get a UK visa?

The financial requirement for me to move back with my Aus fiance means we are not in a position to do it for at least another few years, if that. My fiance and I have talked about moving back - he wants to as well. I really really hope that we can make it possible in the future though, because as you rightly say, life is too short to be unhappy

I'm here with my df who is an Aussie and we have an 8 month old baby girl. My DF's family are here but live about an hour away so I don't get any help at all as obviously my fiance has to work, so it's me who does pretty much everything. DF and I never get a date night or anything. I would give anything to have my family and friends around me, especially my Mum and Dad who I know would dote on their only grand daughter. It breaks my heart that I'm stuck here and depriving my parents of her and if my fiance were British too, I'd be gone tomorrow. I agree with Thinker78, Aus will always be here and you can always come back in the future.

I feel for you too. I always knew I'd find it difficult make new friends since I've never been very good at it and even after a few years here, I still don't have any 'close' friends. I can also relate to being different - I never had a problem talking to people in places I've worked before but for some reason, I just can't do it here, in fact my boss refers to me as the quietest person she's every met, which I really don't think I am. I've definitely become more withdrawn and am stuck in the small talk phase with most people - it would be so nice to meet someone I truly connected with. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know you're not alone. Hope things get better for you xx

Thank you for your experiences peeps, I guess it's me and my baby British and my partner non-EU which is fair enough. I just don't want to be accused of trying to evade immigration and held in one of those little rooms, lol. My daughter doesn't have a passport yet but she'll have to have an Aussie one first as I believe for her to have a British one, I need to have something witnessed by someone with a Brit passport and I don't know anyone here. I'll have to get it done if/when I'm back for hols. Thanks guys x

Hello, Unsure where to post this, so please feel free to move it since this isn't strictly a MBTTUK thread. Since UKBA now have all these rules, if I want to go back to the UK on holiday with my Oz partner and daughter, are we likely to be interrogated at the border about our intentions? We are not moving back presently and simply want to visit, I'm just worried it's not going to be that simple. Has anyone else had any problems visiting the UK with a non-EU spouse? Thanks, Sarah

I agree with Gin100 - we'd love to live in Bath, bit pricey though! So many lovely places, Devon, Cornwall, Lake District...and still iso many places I never even got to before I left. When we get home, I'm taking my little girl everywhere x

As mentioned before - baby won't need a visa as they'll be British through you, even my little girl is even though her father is Australian. I hope things work out for you, I agree it can be a very emotional thing to be pregnant and so far away from family. I have wished many times that my Mum was here.

My DF and I had a discussion a couple of days ago and decided we'd both like to move back in a few years. I guess most of our difficulties here are financial but as Chortlepuss rightly said, even if DF had the best job in the world I would still want to move back. Our life here is nothing compared to the one we left behind. My biggest worry is how we're ever going to do it as it would mean applying for a spouse visa - we have very little savings and a baby daughter, no options for an ancestry visa at all. It's looking very bleak for me at the moment unless something radical happens, which I doubt.

It's a lovely temperature here in Brissy, the humidity has gone and I'm loving it x

Another mixed relationship here too! I'm the Brit, he's the Aussie. I've never been especially happy here but I came for my OH and for the most part have been fine but, I must admit since I had our daughter I'm horribly homesick, compounded by the fact I haven't been home since March 2011. It's a slightly different situation though as strangely enough, we had a talk about it today and have decided to go back to the UK to live. It won't be for at least 2-3 years or so though as we'll have to save lots of money first. I hadn't until recently told him just how homesick I am, I have no one but him and our little girl here and she's my parents only grand daughter. I'll be honest - coming to Australia has taken up all the money I have ever had in the world and we've had a very difficult time here which I guess makes the pull to go home greater. At the moment I feel like if I ever have the chance to get home, I would never want to come back here to live, but that's very selfish of me. I would hate for my OH to say I could never live in my home country again. Australia is a beautiful country, it's just not where my heart is.

What a lovely post, I'm so happy for you. I'm hoping to go home for Christmas this year, just worried I won't want to come back x