alian62 Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 This is a bit long winded but hope someone can assist My wife and i were both born in the UK in 1962 . Both our parents at the time immigrated to the Australia in 1966 and 1970 respectively . We are now both in our early 50s and neither of us had ever ventured outside Australia . Approx 3 months ago we returned to the UK for a 4 week holiday for 4 weeks and had the best time ever . We have never felt like we were at home in Australia but felt Australian because we had spent most of our lives here . More so in 1984 we were both kicked off the Election Role because we at a certain age before 1984 ? Australia Day seems all about getting rid of English Heritage and we are quite bored and disillusioned with this country and where its headed . Could list 100 reasons but wont go into that !! Before we went on our UK trip we decided to become Australian Citizens although we were disgusted that we had to pay $260 each to become something we already felt . We spent all our lives growing up here and paying our taxes and working hard we always found that because we were british we didnt fit in .We became Aussie Citizens so we could get Aussie Passports for the return to Australia . Anyway we are at a loss on how to go about trying to settle back into the UK . We were born there so does this mean anything now ? Does becoming a Aussie Citizen effect this ? Do we go though British Immigration or Australian ? We both have family over there so does this mean anything . Do we need to have employment before we go ? Lots of questions but very few answers for our situation ? Ao hope we can get some help Thank You Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaike Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 How exciting that you are thinking this way. If you have current British passports then you can just walk in. You can keep both passports. When I travel I always leave Australia on my Aussie one, and enter the UK on my British one. The airlines and customs staff are used to it. I grew up in Australia but to British parents and have never really felt at home in Australia - I always knew there was something a bit different about me but could not put my finger on it. So much of our culture comes from Britain that when one goes there it really can feel like going home. I certainly intend to go back and live there one day. It feels much more like the world is happening there, whereas in Australia I feel the world is passing me by. Re employment, it may be easier to line up a job once you are there but if you need job security tap your family network or try Gumtree/LinkedIn/whatever you like to use. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 How to settle? With your UK passport in hot clammy little hand walk in. Get a job, find a place to live, get a NI number, back pay some NI payments and get on with it. What an adventure! Try not to burn any bridges - take a career break, rent out your house etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alian62 Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 So i will need a UK passport as well as Australian one ? I guess your right . We have family in both countries and some say go for it and others say we are mad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I moved back to the UK a few years ago,also emigrated with family in 1970 to Australia (Sth Oz). I think its true to say,that some people who emigrate (probably more so as a child)feel they don't actually fit in either country!Not totally anyway. From my experience,yes I return back to Sth Oz usually every couple of years,and it sort of feels like coming home,and it also feels that way when I return to the UK. I believe though for me,I could be happy living in either country.Its a weird feeling! I think for those people in the UK who tell you you're mad,thats a normal reaction for someone who either hasn't been to Oz,has been to Oz on holiday and thought living in Oz would be like being on holiday all the time,or has never lived in Oz. As I have an aussie accent,I am asked quite often "What the hell are you doing over here"?And those people usually fit into one of those catagories I've just mentioned.I usually reply with something like "Have you ever lived in Oz"?lol The people I have met who have lived in Oz and are back in the UK never ask me why I am here! I do love living in the UK though. I like the fact,that its always green,houses have central heating lol,its pretty cheap to travel elsewhere,prices are reasonable,summers are bearable without the need for an air con,always lots of things to see and do,and life is interesting. I did find living in Australia pretty good too,but for now this is where I am. Can I ask where you might head back to? Best wishes for the future xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alian62 Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 I moved back to the UK a few years ago,also emigrated with family in 1970 to Australia (Sth Oz). I think its true to say,that some people who emigrate (probably more so as a child)feel they don't actually fit in either country!Not totally anyway. From my experience,yes I return back to Sth Oz usually every couple of years,and it sort of feels like coming home,and it also feels that way when I return to the UK. I believe though for me,I could be happy living in either country.Its a weird feeling! I think for those people in the UK who tell you you're mad,thats a normal reaction for someone who either hasn't been to Oz,has been to Oz on holiday and thought living in Oz would be like being on holiday all the time,or has never lived in Oz. As I have an aussie accent,I am asked quite often "What the hell are you doing over here"?And those people usually fit into one of those catagories I've just mentioned.I usually reply with something like "Have you ever lived in Oz"?lol The people I have met who have lived in Oz and are back in the UK never ask me why I am here!I do love living in the UK though. I like the fact,that its always green,houses have central heating lol,its pretty cheap to travel elsewhere,prices are reasonable,summers are bearable without the need for an air con,always lots of things to see and do,and life is interesting. I did find living in Australia pretty good too,but for now this is where I am. Can I ask where you might head back to? Best wishes for the future xx Not sure but we are looking in Cardiff Area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 We visited Cardiff a couple of years ago and loved it! I was just thinking after I posted,that be careful that having been on holiday here for 4 weeks,you're not wearing the rose tinted glasses!lol (I would say that to anyone who was also contemplating a move to anywhere else). You are probably aware that its a little different being on holiday somewhere and actually living there. Not trying to put you off in any way,I love living in the UK. I think Quoll has offered some good advice,in not burning all your bridges,just incase you do decide the UK isn't for you afterall.I've know Quoll for a few years and she would offer the same advice for someone emigrating to Oz. Not sure what kind of work you'd be looking for but the UK is definitely picking up that way and you shouldn't have much trouble finding a job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 So i will need a UK passport as well as Australian one ? I guess your right . We have family in both countries and some say go for it and others say we are mad Oh yeah, definitely get your UK passports - otherwise you will get a 6 month visitor visa stamped in your Aussie pp and then things get tricky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I've always had a theory that we feel 'at home' where we are meant to be. If that is how you feel in the UK, then that is where you need to be! I was the opposite- always yearning for somewhere else and felt like I was coming home here to Australia, even though I had never even visited the place before we migrated. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 This is a bit long winded but hope someone can assist My wife and i were both born in the UK in 1962 You are already British citizens, so all you need is to apply for British passports. Then sell up and go! One word of warning though - pensions. If you leave Australia now, you will lose all entitlement to the Australian government pension. Assuming you're going to work for a few years once you get to the UK, you will start becoming eligible for the British pension, but you won't work enough years to get the full pension. The good news is that you can use your Australian work record up to 2001 to count towards your UK pension - so make sure you take documentary evidence of your jobs before 2001 with you, to give to the UK authorities. If you have a self-managed super fund, you'll have to wind it up and transfer the money to a superannuation fund (either a retail fund or industry fund) before you go, otherwise it will be liable to 46% tax. I assume, as you're moving permanently, that you'll be selling up your home - if you're thinking about keeping it, then you need to get tax advice because if you keep it for too many years, you could pay very high capital gains tax on the proceeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanna123 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 On the same note, if you go back to UK, are you entitled straight away to healthcare etc and all other UK benefits such as childcare (or whatever they call it there)? I've heard there are some implications and you have to live there for 2 years first..?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life on easy street Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 On the same note, if you go back to UK, are you entitled straight away to healthcare etc and all other UK benefits such as childcare (or whatever they call it there)? I've heard there are some implications and you have to live there for 2 years first..?? My experience on my return to the U.K. lived in Australia for a few years. I was not entitled to contribution based J.S.A. even though I had been in full time employment in the U.K for nearly 30 years prior to emigrating to Australia. any one returning to the U.K after more than a two year absence will have to prove U.K residency. Also any benefits they attempt to claim will be means tested! The attitude I got was you are on you are on your own no help from the state But of course was required to pay council tax from my savings even though for the first few months i was earning well below a living wage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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