zephyr

We're a family of 3, son was born in Perth, had 2 1/4 years there made the most of it. Moved back to UK 3 years ago and haven't looked back. Life is peachy. I work in the medical profession and occasionally talk of emigrating to Australia comes up in conversation (for varying reasons) with my patients and colleagues.....curiously the response from some when they discover I CHOSE to return to the UK from Oz is rather perplexing. Some are astonished that I would leave Nirvana (most who think this have never actually been to Australia) and others get defensive if I say anything negative (however subtle) about the place. I have a very balanced view and am aware there are pro's and cons to both the UK and Australia. For some it is paradise for others - not.

No issues' for us either. We've been back 15 months now and have settled back in fine. I sometimes get a bit wistful of what 'could have been' if we'd stayed but then I remind myself of why we came back and how lucky we are to live in such a great place.

Agree with other posters that you've been through a lot of emotional 'stress' over the last 12 months and being pregnant will no doubt be muddying the waters in terms of your feelings (good and bad!) I would say stay where you are for the time being and just try and enjoy each day as it comes. Allow yourself to enjoy your pregnancy and try not to worry about what you should do next. You sound as if you are financially stable and have some support there. After the baby arrives you can both review how you feel and see if staying for the longer term is what you want to do as a family. Your health and the baby's health are the most important and putting yourself through the stress and worry of another move when you aren't sure it's the right decision anyway might not be wise. You will have lots of opportunities to meet new Mum's ante + post natal so opportunities to make new friends will be readily available. You might also find that joining social clubs etc in the evenings become less important to you as yours and your OH's needs change over time. Good luck with your pregnancy :-)

Agree with all the other posters regarding giving the UK a shot. Your view of the UK is probably not helping in terms of trying to picture your future as a family there. It has its problems as does Australia, try to look at the positives and not the negatives as you're not allowing yourself a level playing field to base your decisions on. You say you have a great life in Australia, you may have a great life in the UK. Right now you have an unhappy wife, if you stay put is that likely to change?

To the OP 1) Why do you want to go back- what is it that you are actually hoping for back in Oz? 2) Why do you want to leave the UK?

If you do go for the RRV and cancel out the remaining time on your PR you'll still have 5 years... a good chunk of time to decide where you'd like to be, although I do understand why you'd want to max that time out!

Not sure about children under a certain age but I'm pretty sure each adult needs one of their own.

Hi, I came back to UK on an RRV which cancelled out the remaining 18 months on my PR. I did it this way as I understood it to be easier to obtain the RRV whilst I was still in Australia as opposed to trying to obtain it from the UK and I didn't want to take any chances. I don't know for certain if it would have made any difference had I tried to apply for the RRV from the UK 18 months plus on, but the literature I had read suggested it wouldn't have been as straightforward. Perhaps you could seek professional advice to clarify??

Oddly enough this wet weather hasn't stopped me doing anything with my 2 and a half year old son, we just make the most of the dry spells in between! Luckily we haven't been flooded so I know it's not the same for everyone in the UK at the moment. If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder you may find the quality of light on some of the more dismal and gloomy days a problem, but I do think it's all down to your state of mind - if you want the weather to be a 'deal breaker' it will be.

chandi 1 "My only regret is that there is now a divide between my wife and I because I just don't want to be in the UK anymore. In a selfish way everyone else gains by moving back, my wife with the above gains, the children and school (however, we could have moved them school) and family members gain by seeing them (which is good) but even this is limited as both sets of parents see them rather than play with them or take them out. These are not bad things as I'm pleased that I am making others happy however, I left a country that I enjoyed and didn't want to leave, I don't have a job and I'm finding it hard to obtain which gets you down." You should be proud of yourself for putting your families needs before your own. How lucky they are to have you! The divide you talk about between you and your wife may settle with time especially when you find work and settle back into a routine again. My OH didn't want to return either but did because it was the best decision for all of us. We've been back 8 months now and he's 'moved on' remarkably well. Ultimately it's the people in your life that make your life fulfilling, not the country in which you live, give yourself a chance to grieve for the life you've left behind and then think about how you can shape your future back in the UK. Good luck with the job hunting.

Hi, we've been back for 8 months now after just over 2 years in Perth. No regrets at all. I was fine with living there until our son was born, that changed everything for us. We weighed up all the pro's and con's of bringing our son up in Oz and made the decision that being back in the UK was a much better option. We arrived back just as the amazing summer kicked in and we spent as much time outside (if not more as the sun was less 'fierce') here as we did in Perth. You were sure when you went out there that you wanted to go - now you aren't sure you want to stay - say's it all really ;-)

Hi We both came back without jobs, I am now a stay at home mum so no pressure for me, it took my oh about 6 weeks to find work (works in IT) and he was being selective - there were a lot of vacancies around about 6 months ago in his field. His Australian experience was as relevant as any previous work experience would have been :-)

Hi, we were away for over 2 years and on return opened an account with Lloyds - which was very straightforward :-) Good luck with the move.

I have two NHS work friends who have done the same thing. One is about to move to Spain and the other moved out to Sydney with a 5 year career break under his belt as security just in case he decided to come back. I wouldn't listen to whoever told you not to bother. If you don't ask you don't get.