Brummygirl

I am a returning uk citizen (born in the UK moved to oz 10 years ago) and also early pregnancy. I have been back in the UK about 7 weeks now, 7 weeks too long if you ask me but anyway! 

all your wife will need to do is register ASAP With your GP and fill out a form with your hospital of choice, you will then receive a midwife appointment and that will get the ball rolling. The main thing I have noticed is The NHS are very slow, I registered when I was 8 weeks pregnant and they didn’t arrange my important 12 week scan until I was 14 weeks along... this was then to late to do any 12 week screening, so I am very disappointed up to now when I compare the services I had in Melbourne with my first baby. 

I moved back to Birmingham with my 15 month old and husband, leaving my family still in Australia, my husband wanted to spend some time with his family and old friends, however each day gets harder for me, hopefully with your wife she will settle in ok as her family will be around her and the support she will really appreciate being a first time mom, 

wishing you the best with your move, it’s never a easy ride :).. 

On 06/05/2019 at 07:43, Westy said:

Hi Brummygirl

If you are anything like me you will hate change. Three weeks is very early to hate or love something . We are treating our 12 months as a chance to try something new. A friend told me the other day, We are blessed with choices. That is very true. 12 months will go fast and for us we will sit down as a family and decide what is the best thing to do next. 

As with all the comments on this forum you never really know the full situation in peoples lives, just the surface.Humans are designed to look on the negative side of things in the main. That is me. It won't work, is this the right decision, etc etc. Try and turn that around, you are back in the UK go and see places you have not seen before, I've more of Australian than the UK.

Enjoy what is happening now and in 12 months time make the next step. As i said before all our family think we are mad to come back to the UK. Maybe they are right and maybe not

Take care

Westy

Yep I really hate change  I think thats probably the most scary part! 

I also always see the negative side of a situation, and you are right you never know until you give it a try which is what my hubby keeps saying to me.  everyone we meet or speak to also think we are mad for returning to "shitty Birmingham" is most peoples quote, however these people have never actually left the UK, never mind lived in a completely different country, so I try and take their opinions with a grain of salt!

Please keep us posted on your adventure  

Your situation is similar to mine. My husband and 1 year old daughter have been back in Birmingham for 3 weeks - Leaving my parents and brother in Melbourne! The reason for our move back was due to my husband missing his family, despite 1-2 trips back to the UK every year. The UK has definitely changed from when we left in 2009 & I am finding it extremly difficault to slot back into life after 10 years in Melbourne.

Finding a car, renting a house, buying furniture again is very stressful and you feel like you are bleeding pounds! lol We also kept our jobs open in Melbourne and said to each other we will allow 12 months and see how we go. In my situation, I wish 12 months would be over so we could just go back to Melbourne - my husband,  however is loving life reconnecting with his family while I grieve leaving mine.

finding out I was pregnant 1 week before we left also did not help with the emotional side of the move, baby is due December and I dread what will happen in 12 months if we can't agree on which country we want to raise our children up in.... 

the move will be challenging emotionally and financially, its great you both have your families for support - I wish you well with the move and hope you find what you feel is missing. x 

I say go for it. You are 23, IMO your 20s are for travelling and seeing the world. The UK is a great place to use as a base and you can explore Europe easily and cheaply from there. Also if your husband moved to Melbourne for you at 16/17 (left his family I presume) and is keen to do a stint in the UK for a few years, it may be payback time. Added bonus is reconnecting and spending some quality time with extended family and inlaws.

 

Your career is going going to have many ups and downs over the next 10-15 years (dare I say 40 years). 6 years in 1 company at 23 is a very solid start. Maybe do 6 months - 1 year at your promoted job and then move with an improved CV. People move all the time and experience in different companies and countries is a positive.

 

Give it a year or 2, if you don't settle/like it, it is very easy to come back. the kicker will be 5 years down the track if 1 of you wants to stay in the UK and 1 wants to return but cross that bridge if/when it happens.

I love this reply!! Thanks for your advice and suggestions.

I think It's fair to say he was amazing leaving his parents at such a young age! so in a way it's true, it's my turn to compromise and give it a go!

Your right, Europe and the surrounds are beautiful and very affordable from the UK. Also to spend time with my extended family and life long friends makes me feel about better about moving!

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Where I you from in brum ?

I'm from Great Barr/Kingstanding originally, and will not be heading back there lol...

we have a few areas in mind for when we move back.. Sutton Coldfield, Solihull, Walmley, which will be close enough to family, if we can afford it as these areas are very pricey!

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Thanks for the replies!

I am in a limbo about going back, I do 1 week then the next I don't!

I greatly miss close friends and extended family are not getting any younger.

We have been lucky enough to go back to the UK every year over the August summer holidays since we moved, so my hubby can see his family, I think this contributes greatly to his homesickness and pull to head back tbh...

@AJ that scares me the most, that I may be giving up my career and hard work to start again... all my qualifications are Internationally recognised which is a start, I suppose lol..

Such a big emotional and financial decision to make. I remember at 16 all I dreamt of for years was the day I moved back to blighty!

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Hi fellow poms!

Sorry if this question has been asked before!

Bit of background on me... My husband and I have lived in Melbourne for 7 Years along with my parents (we emigrated when I was 16, and yes, my now husband came with me! :smile: ). However... He is now feeling the pull to return back to the UK due to his family, our extended friends and the feeling of belonging. We have no property or loans so it will be quite easy to pack up after our citizenship is finalised in March, Will just be very sad to leave behind my parents.

Problem: I have recently received a promotion after 6 long years of working for a company hear in OZ and feel very scared/un easy with leaving and having to start my career again. I am 23 and work in IT Management, I would love to hear some of your advice, successes or tips in securing a job in the UK whilst still in OZ? I have applied for a few to "test the waters" and have herd diddly squat and its quite disheartening!

We will be relocation to our home town of Birmingham! (Not exactly comparable to Melbourne, yes i know!)

Thanks for all your help

Finally my letter for Citizenship has arrived! Melbourne - Casey Council time line...

Applied: 4 October 2016 (Online)

Council: City Of Casey (Melbourne)

Original test date: 9 Feb 17 (but managed to change to 4th November 2016)

Test date: 4th November 2016 (Passed 100%)

Approval: 4th November 2016

Ceremony: March 22 2017

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My hubby and I have just applied for Citizenship ( currently on a PR visa in Queensland) and have sent all the documents required but immigration are not happy with our birth certs we sent ( born in the 70's). They are saying we have provided a short/extract certificate. It doesn't have our parents names on there and its not apparently considered a full UK birth certificate!!!! but this is all we have and have ever had.

 

Has anyone gone through this drama and can offer any advice please ?

Thats strange..... Though my birth certificate is not from The 70's it is only the short version as well with no parents names listed - I never had a issue, my application was approved and I'm now awaiting a ceremony date.

Im not sure if they already had a full one of mine on file from my Perm Residency Visa. If they still demand a full one you can purchase online from UK Registry & pay extra for express shipping as you won't want to delay your process

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When we told people we were moving to the UK and taking our young kids you could be mistaken for thinking we were going to some sort of 3rd world country lol

Our kids absolutely love it and never even talk about Australia, they consider themselves English.

Please don't fall into this trap of thinking Brexit is in some way impacting on people's lives, it really isnt. Every scare story so far has proven to be just that, scaremongering.

Haha good way to put it! When telling people about our move back we often hear the phase "ohhhh why on earth would you want to move back, Especially with brexit" [emoji848][emoji19], my answer every time, because it's my home and we miss living there, nothing more, nothing less lol

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Hi All.

Been in Melbourne for 7 years and we love it, that was until 2 months go when my dad had a stroke my mother in law diagnosed with cancer and my mum passed away suddenly went back to the UK luckly my brother has been great sorting stuff out but i realized how much i missed my family and friends thinking of moving back but with Brexit at the moment it would it be silly to leave secure and well well paid jobs for the uncertainty back in the UK, due to go back at Christmas for a holiday maybe things might be clearer then.

Anybody else been in a similar situation.

Sorry to hear about your past few months, I hope the trip back at Christmas helps you make this tough decision...

We are also in a similar dilemma as I have mentioned on a few other posts we are moving back Jan/feb after 7 years in MEL. leaving secure jobs and the uncertainty of life back in Uk is a scary thought and many many people I have spoke with have advised myself and my husband against it, but we should do what makes us happy.... jobs can also come and go so we are thinking of it as a adventure & having familiar surroundings, life long friends and extended family to help you settle back in will make a whole world of a difference... oh and Brexit Is the least of your worries, your happiness comes first!

Wishing you the best for your travels over Xmas!

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Hi everyone!

 

I'm 22 and have recently finished Diploma of Nursing. I've been accepted into Bachelor of Nursing starting March (this will take two years). I've read that I need minimum one year nursing experience before I can register in the UK.

 

Background info- been in Australia almost ten years, dragged here when I was thirteen. I've never felt like it was home. I find the girls my age really childish and bitchy, I don't like the heat and I can't imagine staying here. It's not home and since moving relationships with my immediate family have broken down.

 

So my dilema is whether i move back to the UK as soon as I have enough saved, then work for three years before studying Bachelor of Nursing, or whether I stick it out for three years.

 

Any advice would be helpful :smile:

Hey 10yearstoomany!

Il just jump straight in, cause why the heck not lol!

Melbourne bound 23 year old, was also dragged here from the UK 7 years ago @16years old.

At 18 I refused to live in Melbourne any longer with my parents and resented everyone and everything. Took me a long time to re build my relationships. So I went back to the UK on my own with no money, no job but open arms from family members which helped massively..... believe me at 18 I was **** scared to have made such a big decision....

I ended up studying also whilst in the UK which I found to be a much better experience than study at Chisholm here in MEL.... however I ended up returning to Melbourne 10months later as I was missing my parents and was not coping to well....

Fast forward to December 2016 and me and my now husband( who followed me out from the UK @ 16!) are in the process are moving back to the UK Jan/feb 2017.

So as you can see I have ping ponged abit, and despite having family, friends etc I have always felt like something is missing. I call it a limbo land, the belongingness plays a big part with our emotions.

Do what you think is best, The UK have some fantastic universities so that could be an option to continue with your studies and work alongside?

Or like you said, take a break and work for 3 years, universities will always be there in the future.

Sorry if I rambled on and I hope my ping pong story aids you some advice.. Wishing you all the best in your decision

Jem x

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Hey Jemma, just a quick question do you reckon that they wont mind if i call them twice everyday to seek an earlier test date?

Hey! I honestly would call as many times as you like there is no limit... the test booking system is live data so they will tell you on the phone to be quick with saying yes or no to a available appointment because other calls could take them while your thinking about it....

I would suggest requesting a call back instead so you don't waste your day . But yep I would call as many times as you like, you never know let's hope you can change the date! The wait times for visa are just ridiculous at the moment

Jem x

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Bt jemma i havnt had my test yet and i hasnt been approved so cant i ?

Oh yeh you might be able to then, give them a call on Monday

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Guys,i just realised.. i have chose option ( no) that i dnt want to take part in any ceremony that attracts media attention, by mistake. Shd i call and tell them?

****! I did that aswell which means no Australia Day ceremony for us!!! can't believe i did that.... I doubt very much we can change it now because the application has already been approved

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I would like to thank jemma victoria and sapplior .. who gave me advice of calling ... my test date has been changed to 22 december í*½í¸Š

Yay! Congrats

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Really , can we do that? They dont keep a tract of calls? I mean wont thy be pissed off ..í*¾í´”

I have not herd officially that they keep track, I suppose that every time you call they will take notes and add to your file... but I wouldn't let this stop you! if your innocently trying to change your appointment I suppose that's the only way.I remember when my husband had applied for a partner visa a few years ago I called immigration everyday for a update [emoji23] so I probably pissed them off but hey ho!

I was quite fortunate with my test, melbourne based applications can change appointments online so I was literally checking at work every 15min! But if I didn't have that option I would deffo be calling DIBP to check availability everyday,

Good luck!

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updated timeline:

Applied: 11/11/2016(Perth)

Test date notification received today 30/11/16

Test date: 23rd March

called to get an earlier date however no dates available in Perth

Keep calling DIBP everyday and request a call back so your not waiting on hold...fingers crossed you can change it!

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Hi Jemma

 

Thank you for your message.

Wow yours was quick!

 

We are definately moving back in Feb or even January. So not not sure if we will be here to do our citizenship if it does go through quickly and I think our move to the UK will be a permanent one. None has really settled after 5 years. We are in Bunbury two hour south of Perth

 

Hubby will stay here for a year for work until we are settled over there. Do you know if he can do his citizenship alone if myself and our two daughters are in the UK. We thought that that could be an option. Our PR visa expires in June so we have to renew the travel part anyway. Such a confusing time

 

Thanks and good luck

Ye I definitely got lucky with changing my test date! When I got my first test date for February I was quite upset as we were naively expecting the entire process to take 3 months [emoji51]... we are heading back to Birmingham, West Midlands - just not looking forward to the cold winters!

Yep I know feeling, we have been here 7 years & how time flys...At least you held it out for 5 years which is a very long time and gave it a good go!

As citizenships are individual based I would guess it wouldn't be a problem him continuing the application process alone, especially if he is staying in oz for the next 12 months he might as well. Yep I also had to get the resident return visa which is not cheap it's around $450 per person, but lasts 5 years...

Wishing you all the best with your move and new adventure back to blighty! Check out the moving back to the uk topics on this forum, I have found it so informative and useful.

Jem x

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Mine was almost identical timing last year with Casey council. I applied early August, my test was mid-November and the ceremony was the beginning of May. They are apparently a very busy council and my ceremony was jam-packed.

Wow! I knew Casey council are one of the busiest but that is a ridiculous wait time! I think I am being slightly optimistic with my thoughts of Australia Day ceremony...

Did you have any delays or was it a straight forward application....

Thanks for the feedback x

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Hi All,

I applied for our family citizenship on 23rd October 2016, had acknowledgement email but no other contact.

Due to family illness we will now be going back to the Uk in Feb for a long period of time.

If it hasn't gone through by then... which i doubt very much reading everyones timelines, Will they refund the money if we have no choice but to go back without ?

Thanks

HiGoldyshell!

I would recommend waiting till Feb to see if you atleast can do the test and be "approved". Once you are approved you can leave the country and return at a later date for you Citizenship ceremony. Seems a shame as you have spent a lot of time & money for the process already - dept of IMMI also do not refund.

My husband and I are moving back to the Uk in february 2017 (If we get our ceremony by then)....We wanted to ensure we had our ozzy citizenship before we left to not cut ties with Australia!

We applied in October with Melbourne, City of casey council with our application as "Joint" - This is my timeline if any help for you, If you are from Melbourne check several times a day to try and chnage your test dates!

Applied: 4 October 2016 (Online)

Council: City Of Casey (Melbourne)

Original test date: 9 Feb 17 (but managed to change to 4th November 2016)

Test date: 4th November 2016 (Passed 100%)

Approval: 4th November 2016 (Just called DIPB & was told approval granted on same day as test, and to keep eye out for snail mail letter)!

Ceremony: ???

England is England ...still too much traffic ...crap weather ,but getting better ....overcrowded ...too many people not enough houses ....BUT all in all ,with a few quid in your pocket ,and living in a decent area ,probably the bed country in the world to live .

 

No extremes of weather

I don't have to drive 30 mins for a bottle of milk or a beer .

 

NHS is very good ,if not pushed to the limit .

 

Area dependent ...but education is good.

 

I live in the west midlands ,so sun and sea is out of the question ...BUT...birmingham airport is only 15 mins from me ...

 

No 10 out 10s ....but everything In the u.k scores

 

Life is pretty good

Nice to hear! We will be moving back to Birmingham early next year after 7 years in Melbourne... Hope you don't mind me asking how do you find solihull? In regards to Traffic and access to the city centre etc...

I am originally from Great Barr, however have been looking at rentals around Solihull,Mosley or Sutton Coldfield. Renting in these areas seems quite high though. ...

Hi everyone, My citizenship has been approved on 9 nov. I got approval letter today. Get citizenship date 21st dec. But I request them to change it to 21st nov. Happy days...pp:wink:

WOW! Congrats on your Citizenship Ceremony so quickly after your approval

Hi everyone,

 

My husband and I have been in Melbourne for 9 years, both work full time and rent close to the City. Sadly & strangely even after all this time we still don't feel 'at home' and struggle to find much we relish here. This is not through lack of trying. We go out a fair bit as we are childless, visit any exhibitions that come to town and take trips out into the countryside/down the beach but something is lacking. I can only describe it as an underlying emptiness or a slightly panicky feeling of somehow wasting my life being in the wrong place and not fitting in.

 

To be honest I would have gone back after a year but we had dogs (only one elderly boy of 16 left now) and we didn't want to put them through another long haul flight as they seemed to find the trip over and quarantine etc quite traumatic. Also, we thought we should give it a good go after making such a big and expensive move.

 

It's been a decade of ups and downs with job & financial issues and a couple of serious health scares in the mix (something that brought home life is short & should we really be living it in a place we don't like). Plus we've only been able to make it back to visit family and old friends twice which hasn't helped.

 

Anyway we are looking at heading home to UK in about 18 months and I am totally overjoyed at the thought. However, at the same time being a natural born worrier I am anxious about leaving well paid, secure jobs here. Looking online it seems I will probably earn at least a third less than I do now. We are not Spring chickens either being in our forties (althougb we are quite well preserved/pickled :laugh:) so am a bit concerned this might work against us. If i was a decade younger I wouldn't think twice.

 

I guess I'm looking for some validation. Are we doing the right thing taking the plunge and heading back to where we feel we belong but where we have no financial guarantees, after all nothing ventured nothing gained. Or at our age should we be 'sensible' and stay slightly unhappy but financially secure for the unforseeable future??

 

Thanks for any input!

I agree! Exactly how my husband and I feel!

We are awaiting our Citizenship ceremony and will be heading back to Brum in the UK after 7 years in Melbourne, we also live in the City (St Kilda).... Unfortunately I will be leaving behind my parents who also live in Melbourne along with my brother. However my husband misses his family and feels he has missed out on a lot after leaving them @ 17 years old to move to OZ with me and my family!

It is definitely a mutual decision on heading back to the UK, weather it is the right one? Only time will tell…. The major pull to move back for us is; husband’s family, close lifelong friends and the feeling of belonging which is mentioned a lot on this forum. My now husband and I were also 16 & 17 when we moved to Melbourne with my family (Childhood sweethearts!), We would like to have the opportunity as adults to work, live and experience the UK to see if this is what we want for our future!

What scares me the most is the same question… Is it reckless to go back? We are in great jobs are financially stable and very happy, but it’s like something is missing!

we are taking it as a new adventure, nothing has to be forever! J - wish you all the best in what you choose to do!

Jem,

Melbourne Time Line....

 

Applied: 4 October 2016 (Online)

Council: City Of Casey (Melbourne)

Original test date: 9 Feb 17 (but managed to change to 4th November 2016)

Test date: 4th November 2016 (Passed 100%)

Approval: ??

Ceremony: ???

 

* Told by immi officer at my test appointment that Melbourne has a long wait time for citizenships - He had been advised to expect wait times of 4-6months for a ceremony date post test appointment! - Let the wait begin.....

Updated time line!

Applied: 4 October 2016 (Online)

Council: City Of Casey (Melbourne)

Original test date: 9 Feb 17 (but managed to change to 4th November 2016)

Test date: 4th November 2016 (Passed 100%)

Approval: 4th November 2016 (Just called DIPB & was told approval granted on same day as test, and to keep eye out for snail mail letter)!

Ceremony: ???