Patphillips47

If you fly into UK with Australian passports on a one way ticket you will be stopped at immigration and questioned it can be a lengthy question time too as our friend was held for hours Far better to get the UK passports leave OZ on the Aussie paaport then enter the Uk with the UK passport

You don't have to pass the habitual residents test to get back into the NHS what you need is an address ,well that's what we found it's when you claim benefits the residency test kicks in

When we moved back in 2001 we had no credit rating bought things cash which made things worse ! We had had a UK account for years but that made no difference we had to fight to get gas and electric even on direct debit plus Virgin used to cut the phone off when the bill hit a certain amount despite the fact they were paid direct debit ! Then after 6 months Lloyds offered us a credit card with a limit of 500 which I used all the time and paid straight of - worked wonders they could not do enough for us down the track Getting on the electoral roll and having a landline rather than a mobile also helps ( or so some places told me )

Depending on what vehicle you have if it's a one off ie not an eu model your taking you will need to jump through hoops to get it on the road in the UK Our Captiva cost us 1500 quid to get it on the road I considered it worth it as the car was paid for and almost new but it is an added cost Worth maybe adding it all up to see what's the best way

Our friend is Aussie resident so really should have had his Aussie passport to leave but he forgot lol the friend who had the warrant issued for his arrest actually almost got arrested when he came back to Oz on holiday as the warrant was outstanding Luckily he sorted it out but I suppose and it's what I was trying to say is try to sort it out prior to leaving Justin Case you ever want to come back even if only for a holiday

You need 35 years working life as they call it between the age of 16 and retirement to qualify for the full Australian pension to be paid in the uk If you haven't got the full requirement it's worked out on a pro rata basis and Roos after I think it's 26 weeks ( that could have changed ) Centrelink can tell you exactly what you will get but do try to get it in writing as you can get different information depending on whom you speak to You also need to be claiming the Centrelink pension prior to leaving Australia it can't be claimed once over seas

We had a friend just left on his British passport as his Aussie one was in transit He was held up in Adelaide and Sydney and eventual allowed to fly but he said it took some time ( he lives in OZ works in UK ) Your supposed to register for a postal vote when OS too plus we heard of someone who because they were in the UK had a warrant issued as he did not turn up for jury duty ! Think the easy way is to tell as many authorities as you can your leaving keeps things sweet so to speak

If you PM me I can then email you what we went through as it's long and complicated Going through a legal firm to me won't make one iota of difference by the way

T Is that disability from the uk or Oz and with state pension do you mean uk or Oz if you parents are not retirment age and they go back to the uk to claim benefits they would need to got through the habitual residency test to get any benefit

In 2001 we returned to the uk and registered with a GP with no questions etc Habitual residency kicked in when we applied for a rates rebate based on our income which was an Australian disability pension After a long protracted interview we were refused habitual resident status but I appealed and it was eventually overturned

Sedation is not allowed now on the long haul flights it used to be but caused problems Jetpets picked our boy up from Quarantine and flew him to Adelaide without a hitch thankfully as we had had a problem occur just before he left the UK Our vet lost his final blood test luckily Golden Arrow sorted it all out so he flew in a wing and a prayer ! Shar Pei are notoriously temperamental at times but Ralphy was fine

we used Golden arrow to bring our Shar Pei to Oz couldn't fault them think it was $ 260 to have him flown to Adelaide

We were charged almost $900 to have our car steam cleaned for quarantine ,about $ 50 for compliance check but ours was an Aussie car being brought back into oz Iron Chef probably the best one to tell you what's needed

It's quite a complicated process we used Golden Arrow to ship our Shar Pei there was only one stop and he was picked up by quarantine staff in Melbourne Thats part of the procedure to get them into quarantine As verystormy said I would also recommend a company to ship your Shelties as the process needs to be followed step by step i was so happy we chose golden arrow as our uk vet lost a crucial blood sample at the last minute but Golden pulled out all stops and got him sorted and out on time

We have had our Aussie bank account for years moved back twice and kept it open

Thinking about Uk pensions was your late husband British if so you may get a widows pension based on his contributions my uk pension in my own right was minimal because I paid the married womens stamp as they called it But when my hubby retired I now get £33 a week paid here in Oz

You might get a rates rebate but would need to prove income etc Are you eligible for any Uk at all plus would you continue to get full Centrelink pensions as the rate depends on how many years you have lived here It's currently 35 years residency between the age of 16 and retirement for full entitlement Your Aussie pension would be paid 4 weeks in arrears you would need to pass the residency requirements in the UK to claim some uk benefits too

have you gong through the criteria for getting your dog to Oz could he travel a while free you do giving you chance to look for a place ?

personally I would check the costs out to get the car on the road in the uk It cost us around £1500 to have the speedo changed and the car put through a single vehicle approval check and on the road I also think that you might pay Vat if you have not owned the car for 12 months You will also void any warranty you might have if it's shipped overseas

We had ours paid weekly when we were in the uk we found it more beneficial that way as our Aussie pensions were 4 weekly

If your in OZ and have your UK state pension paid it goes to being paid 4 weekly in arrears but you can have it paid into a UK account and transfer yourself or have it paid by Dhss into an Australian account but that doesn't offer the best exchange rates

There is no visiting at Spotswood now at all plus they only feed Kibble once a day If a pet had a special diet it needs to be recorded by your vet and the owner supplies Spotswood with the food

Sheila it was me that wrote about leaving children but in all honesty you have taken my comments the wrong way if you think I am having a go about leaving your son I am not if you email me I will explain I was NOT having a go at all and I know your son is an adult I only made that comment because we were refused residency status in the uk because we had left children in Australia ( that was the statement in the official letter we got from Dhss ) My children were 34 and 35 with kids of their own so certainly were not dependant !! We were also refused because we had left a bank account open in Australia it's very very complicated and not easily explained which is why I suggested you email me