brit1

Thank you, I found your other post. Good luck with your move!!

Thanks Gummygirl. So how long did you give yourselves to arrange the move? We are planning to move over by the end of the year but don't have a fixed date yet Thanks again.

How long are you given to enter the UK once the visa is granted please? Thank you

Thanks everyone. I'll do some more research. Just started looking into this and get about 5 minutes per day to sit at the PC as got two very young children. Huge move to plan and was reading some threads as a starting point. Thanks again.

Thanks all. Yes, ours not only meows but vomits and poops herself within 10 minutes of getting in the car. I've started to sit in the car with her 5 mins per day so that she doesn't associate travel with the vet.

Sorry if this isn't the case. I was reading some other thread and they said they were not able to use holiday accommodation as the address of where they will be living when they arrive in the UK as this is only a temporary address. As they had been through the process I just assumed that the requirements were to have a permanent and suitable property to reside in.

Hello all, just a quick one. So do the UK Government expect you to actually rent a property before applying for the visa? Seems a little risky. I have only my parents back home in a one bed house so they cant agree to 'put us up' there until we get settled. We were going to secure a long let on a local holiday rental but reading other posts this is a no no? What did you do to satisfy this requirement?

Ok, thanks will do.

Hello all, just wondering whether anyone has shipped a nervous feline friend from Oz to UK and how did they travel, did you have to use any sedatives? My 3 year old cat is not normally a nervous cat but is terrified of going in the car. Obviously I am concerned about sending her half way around the world, but she is a firm part of our family. Thanks.

Thank you very much....and relax!

Hello, just scouring the forums today as im confused about the financial requirements. I thought (as you say) that you need either a job to go to, OR 62,500 in the bank - but I was reading other links today that said if you are applying from outside the UK, the British Citizen needs a to secure a job offer AND have 62,500 before applying? (im Brit and my husband is Australian). Sorry to jump into this thread from another, but it appears you have been through the process so thought I'd seek your opinion - straight from the horses mouth so to speak. Thank you.

Thank you some good information and insights here. I agree, probably best to just go with the flow and know that no decision is irreversible.

Oh dear Johndoe, Perhaps you were offended by my comments, that's just what I have experienced personally whist out at playgroups and at the playground. As I said in my comments, I know not everyone is like this. As for your second paragraph, how hurtful, you have no idea what our reasons are for wanting to move back overseas. My Mum has been sick and was in hospital for 3 months at the end of last year. I have only spent 2 weeks with her in the past 5 years as we cannot afford to visit each year. Our boys are the only grandchildren they have and they would dearly love us to be back in the UK for a while. It is a struggle financially to survive here on one wage, it is our choice to have me stay at home with the little ones until they go to school as we do not wish to place them in childcare - again, I understand that many don't have a choice - I am not judging anyone. If we go back to the UK money wont be an issue (we have done our sums). As I said, my husband preferred working in the UK so that is why he wants to go back there. Yes, we are being honest here! We do want to go back, but want to make sure that our boys would have the best opportunities in life. It is actually because of them that we have not moved back already. Life here is pretty much the same as life over their, we get up, go to work, food shopping then spend time together on the weekends. But we feel we would have a better quality of life over there. Thank you to all who have posted, we are still making up our minds.

Thanks again everyone.

Thank you everyone for your kind responses and honest feedback on your personal experiences of moving to and fro with little ones. I think we are definitely leaning towards going back to the UK, we are aware of the new visa rules thank you and will have to sell our house here to raise enough funds to show that we can support ourselves. As I am currently staying home with the little ones, my husband is the main bread-winner and can earn a far higher wage than I can in the UK so once we are there he will get back into London and we will be fine. It is good to know about the different options re playgroup which I think would do my son's confidence some good, and great to know that bullying is taken more seriously in the UK. Looking back, I think my husband and I were happier living in the UK. The hard fact that we have family (and ageing parents) on both sides of the planet will never be resolved though, and this is the hardest part of falling in love with someone from that far away. Thanks again everyone, the only one i'll worry about now is our nervous cat who is terrified of travelling......hurrumph!

Hi Bradley That's great you're asking loads of questions. I can't answer all your questions, but definitely look into wages and cost of living more as it is very expensive here. Don't worry about the visa process, it can be daunting but pretty straight forward. Leaving family is probably the hardest part, I didn't think about it too much at the time but 7 years later and with two children, it is very hard being away from family and their support. In the past 5 years we have only managed to get back over for 2 weeks which is pretty dismal I must say! Skype is ok but not like having that big hug and a good cuppa and a chat on the sofa with Mum and Dad. At 22 though you're a while of that situation anyway. Oh and a sweaty hot Christmas, listening to carols about snow is a hard one to get past too!! Hehehe! My advice would be wait until you've had your holiday and ask all these questions when you're out here visiting as you'll get a much better feel for how it would be for you both. Good luck!!

Hello all, Just seeking some advice from anyone who has moved back to the UK with children? I'm British and my hubby is Australian. We moved to Oz 7 years ago so that my husband could be close to his family whom he obviously missed in the UK. We now have a 2.5 year old and a 5 month old. Im concerned about taking our toddler away from everything he knows, including family here who he sees regularly. On the other side, he will then get to know my family back in the UK (a major reason for me wanting to move back there now). Our toddler is quite soft and I have found many parents and children here to be hard and competitive, so he often gets shoved out of the way whilst the parents look on. I do not wish to offend anyone as I know not everyone is like this, but in general I did find people (and children) to be kinder and more down to earth in the uk? Has anyone found pre-school is better in either country? My husband is also sick of working here again and feels he had much more opportunity in the UK. It's a really difficult decision to make and I really am stuck between countries at the moment. I would be grateful for any helpful advice? Thank you. (P.S) Im definitely a northern hemisphere person, so the weather here isn't really appealing to me either!