NottmTex

You're a bloody star. Thanks for all your responses this year!

Thank you for all your advice! I will get my mum to add me to a bill to prove my address in the UK. I was planning on paying my Optus plan out to get my phone unlocked, then in the UK just get a new plan. Are you saying keep your Australian number so banks and other Australian agencies can send you SMS alerts just in case? The only problem I see there is I would potentially have to keep flicking between sim cards. I could just change ING bank alerts etc to my new UK number when I get it? Thanks again!

Hi! As the title reads, I am a UK citizen that has been living in Australia for 20 years. I am returning to the UK and just wondering if anyone has experience in doing so? I can't apply to get a bank account or national insurance number until I get to the UK according to the government website. My situation is also complex, I am returning to the UK but continuing to work for my employer in Australia part-time. My accountant has said to me to keep my residence in Australia for tax purposes. Thanks!

Of course, we would have loved the visa but were told the General Dental Council would process partners' applications within 3 months (been 5 and still not near processing) - after being processed and applying for the health & care visa would have only taken 3 weeks to process. So we thought bugger it's let's get a partner visa and pay for priority, that's when we have been told priorities have been suspended and visa delays overall for obvious reasons with Ukraine. Partner could come to the UK on an Aussie visitors pass for up to 6 months in the hope that priority would be turned back on and could be paid for, she could then leave the country for a week until it's processed. The problem is I think this could go on for many months. So horrible what's happened with the Ukraine people, just wish we had some clarity on what to do.

You're correct, we could have applied for a partner visa for her but we were told to apply for a health & care visa, which she couldn't do until hearing back from the general dental council and securing a certificate of sponsorship. We do have flexible flights luckily! In regards to your point about being outside the UK when the partner VISA is granted... is that to have her passport returned? (As we will be doing the all-digital option where you don't have to hand in your passport), or was there another reason you were referring to? Ideally, we would have loved the visa here and ready to go, we were on track from the info we had. We never knew about the delays on visas and suspension on paying for priority until yesterday. We have been told it is possible to apply for the partner visa and come into the UK as an Australian visitor (not work of course) and wait until the partner visa has been processed. However, the woman from the helpline who advised us did not seem 100% sure herself so this is where we need more clarification.

Hi everyone, Hope you're well! So we are in strife! Backstory is I am a UK citizen, partner is not. We have tickets booked for trhe UK end of this month. My partner is an Aussie, and an oral health therapist (in between dentist and hygienist). She had to send her application to the UK dental board to be accepted, backlog of applications so hasn't been seen for 4 months. We were told she couldn't apply for partner or health & care visa until she had the confirmation from the dental board. It was all fine as we could fast-track the visa by paying for priority or super-priority. That has now been suspended as a service and all visas are delayed we were told, 3/4 months plus it could take. We called UK Immigration and Visas and had to pay 69 pence per minute, we later found that it's a third-party organisation and they don't give you any useful info, we literally just got told there were delays and that's it. We asked if my partner could apply for a partner visa and come into the UK on a visitors visa as she's Aussie and doesn't work until we hear more. They just said she could and some people do but it's a risk and that's it. We have no idea what to do and are so stressed! Anyone in similar situations or could offer any help, would be greatly appreciated! This has so far ruined my return to the UK to see my family as I don't want to leave my partner.

Hi @Marisawright - we can apply for the partner visa for her but the Health and Care Visa gives her a lot more benefits whilst being in the UK whilst also being cheaper.

Hi all This is a question about my partner's situation (She is an Australian citizen and not an English citizen), she is coming over to the UK with me in May. My partner is an Oral Health Therapist so can apply for the Health and Care Visa, we're just wondering if anyone has ever applied for the Health and Care VISA route. She is currently waiting for the outcome of her registration application with the General Dental Council then the next step for her will be trying to find a sponsor. Due to long processing times, she will most likely already be in the UK as a visitor by the time she can apply for the Health and Care VISA. She has been informed by the Home Office that she may have to leave the country whilst her VISA application is processing but not necessarily back to AUS, just out of the UK. Our questions are: - Was it hard to find a sponsor employer in the UK and any advice you may have? - Can you travel (short trips) around Europe once approved for this VISA? - Was your application processed within the 3 weeks as estimated on the GOV.uk website? - Has anyone ever paid extra to use the priority service application before? i.e. processed within 5 days. - Were you outside of the UK or Inside of the UK when you applied? And, if so did you have to leave the UK in order to apply? - Have you tried to apply for this VISA and been knocked back? If so, what were the reasons? Any other information or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much guys. I will have a look into these, appreciate the help.

Hey guys, Not sure if this has been answered before or not but couldn't see much! We are moving back to the UK in June and need more than the 23kg check-in baggage you're allowed. Most if not all the airlines I have looked at a charge between $50-$80 per extra kilo. Can't really find an airline that charges an okay fee per extra piece of luggage. Have had a look at even getting a premium economy etc to get more checked-in baggage allowance. Has anyone had experience with this? Thanks!

Thanks everyone so much for your comments and help, honestly really appreciate it and your awesome knowledge! Have another question, when and how is it best to transfer over Australian drivers license to UK license?

Hi guys! Would very much appreciate some help to help us tie up some loose ends before we move back to the UK - btw this forum is incredible, so much knowledge and want to help people is amazing! So our story is I am originally born in Nottingham, moved to Oz when I was 5, go back a lot but now want to move back to Notts to be closer to my family. I will be moving with my partner who is an Australian citizen. I have a few points & questions that I would love some help with. We're looking to move back for 2-3 years before potentially coming back to Oz to start our own family. 1. Is going for a partner Visa the best way to get my partner over to the UK? 2. Superannuation. Do we keep contributing to this or do we call our super funds up and try to minimise costs as much as possible? 3. HECS Debt. Should we still be making contributions whilst in the UK? 4. Bank accounts. I've seen we'll need to do this when in England (we have a family residential address we'll be staying at) - what is the best way to transfer money to our UK bank account? Or is it better to use an Australian bank account like ING and use that card as much as possible as they have a debit card that doesn't charge international fees? 5. List of places we'll need to alert when we leave? Bank/government etc? 6. Cars. Is it best to buy second-hand cars over there or lease? 7. What's the best way to set up national Insurance & NHS? 8. Anything I've missed? Again, sorry for the long-winded message. I have looked up a lot of this stuff and seen many different online articles. I wanted to come here as the knowledge of this group is impeccable and extremely helpful!

Very helpful everyone, appreciated! @Marisawright as far as Super funds go, is it best to make sure I'm in one not charging fees whilst I'm overseas? Will make a note to cancel the insurances on it, that's where most of my fees come from.

Thanks @Wa7 but I actually got that wrong, it’s both her grandparents born in the UK. Dad was born here!

I really appreciate all your comments! @Quoll knowing my mother she would have likely lost that NI haha but I'm sure I can get another pretty easily. I am moving back to my hometown of Nottingham where all my family live so proving my address should surely be straightforward to prove I would have thought? I was fortunate enough to stay in Nottingham for my former job (cricketer) for 2/3 months a year and play Cricket which was great. I loved it but would obviously be different living in the UK to a 2/3 month stay. Especially working and going through my first winter since I was 5 in the UK! Is there anything else you can think of in regards to admin based stuff? Will sort out address, NI etc. Just wondering if there's anything else I should be considering. @MacGyver I think my partner's dad was actually born in the UK, will have to check. So if this was the case going for an ancestry visa would be a lot easier? We've done some more research and seen that getting my partner a work visa for 2 years would be a lot easier than the partner visa, especially as her skills are deemed as "important skills" in dental care in the public system.