Moving back to uk

[Weesh]

Hi,

 

After living in OZ for nearly 10 years I wish to return to the UK for family reasons. I am a Australian Citizen and hold an Australian passport, as do my children. !8 and 17.

 

My 17 year old will be returning with me. My question is, do we need visas? can I look for work as I have a national insurance number? as my daughter does not, what do we do?

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

Thanks in advance.

[VERYSTORMY]

I am assuming you moved from the UK and are British / Australian dual nationals?

 

In which case, no, you don't need visas - you are still British. You just need your UK passports. From a work perspective, it is no different than before you ever went to Australia.

 

Your 17 year old will be able to apply for a national insurance number when she arrives.

[Weesh]

Thanks for the info Verystormy.

Yes I am from the UK and the kids were born there too. I thought that would be the case, but just wanted the reassurance.

 

I do not have a British passport at the moment so will look into that.

 

Thanks agin.

[VERYSTORMY]

Thanks for the info Verystormy.

Yes I am from the UK and the kids were born there too. I thought that would be the case, but just wanted the reassurance.

 

I do not have a British passport at the moment so will look into that.

 

Thanks agin.

 

Very easy to get while in Australia, and oddly cheaper than getting in the UK.

 

We have made the move back a month ago, so if you need any help, just shout.

 

You will notice some differences, but most a pretty positive. Its funny, the biggest difference we have noticed is how much more health conscious people are. I manage a quarry that mainly employs guys from the building trade. 8 years ago, I would have walked into the canteen to see them eating pies and things. No more - they all eat salads and things. Most go to the gym. I have two VERY Irish guys. Very typical builders in their 50's. Both are t-total, eat healthy and chat about how much wait they have lost and calories and things. It is pretty funny.

[Quoll]

As long as you both arrive on your UK passports it will be a doddle really.

[Patphillips47]

Just remember if you ha e not still kept a UK bank account open you will need to reestablish yourself with banking credit etc

[bristolman]

It's a pretty straightforward process really as you are a British citizen, just get yourself registered with a GP as soon as you are settled. There are no restrictions on work or access to health care etc. Get out here and enjoy being home. Things have changed, almost totally for the better.

[Marisawright]

Just remember if you ha e not still kept a UK bank account open you will need to reestablish yourself with banking credit etc

 

Just to add to that, one tip:

 

If you've got relatives in the UK, tell your Australian bank that you're moving to the UK, and give them your relative's address. Don't use "c/o", just pretend it's your own address. Then a couple of weeks before you leave Australia, order a printed statement (it can be from your main account or your credit card, doesn't matter). That way, by the time you arrive in the UK, you'll have a statement waiting at your relative's house with a UK address on it.

 

You can then take that with you to the bank as proof of a UK address (just pretend it's your permanent address, don't let them know it isn't or you won't get an account!).

 

If you don't do that, you won't be able to open an account until you receive some other bills to prove your address, which could take a while.

 

You won't be able to get a credit card or overdraft at first, so hang on to your Australian bank account and credit card.

[KTM1963]

Scot by birth, emigrated 1985, returned to UK 2015 - heading back 2016 - hi, can I please ask if you intended to just go back for a year, perhaps for family or haven't settled after being away for so long. Heading back March 2017 after 27 years. Planning on a year to see how I go

 

[Marisawright]

Scot by birth, emigrated 1985, returned to UK 2015 - heading back 2016 - hi, can I please ask if you intended to just go back for a year, perhaps for family or haven't settled after being away for so long. Heading back March 2017 after 27 years. Planning on a year to see how I go

 

 

Hi @KTM1963 - a bit of everything!

 

TBH I don't think it works to go back and try it for a year, for various reasons.

 

We were like you, intending to try it for a year or two. But that meant we didn't withdraw and transfer our super - and that means we'll now be up for a tax headache if we do decide to stay. We can't avoid it by popping back to Oz and doing the transaction - we'd have to go back and live in Australia long enough to establish residency again before that would work.

 

Also, we're not of pension age yet and staying in the UK means we won't get the Australian pension - but my hubby can't get the British pension and I'll only get pro rata. Again, popping back to Australia to claim it won't work - we'd have to stay there two full years to get it. We do have a decent superannuation pot but by the time we've paid tax on it (either as a lump sum or ongoing as a pension), it won't be as much as if we stayed in Australia - and without the safety net of a govt pension, that's scarey.

 

As for not settling - no, we haven't settled, and being temporary is part of that. Because we're only temporary, we left most of our treasured belongings in storage - books, ornaments, mementoes etc - and have furnished our small flat from IKEA. It's a lovely flat but it doesn't feel like a home for that reason. It also means I'm constantly NOT buying new things because I think, "I like it but it's just something extra I'll have to ship".

 

So I think if you're going to do it, you're more likely to settle if you go in with both feet! If you're seriously doubting whether it's the right thing to do, could you manage to book a holiday for a few weeks (in the winter season you could do a good deal on a holiday flat somewhere)?

 

I think you also have to ask yourself why you're doing it. We moved for logical reasons - I lived in Oz for 30 years and never had a day's homesickness, so I didn't feel any sense of homecoming when we arrived in the UK to offset the usual frustrations involved in moving countries. If you're feeling that emotional pull, as many do, then feeling "home" is likely to compensate for any shortcomings you may perceive.

[bristolman]

I agree, the thought of doing it for a year would fill me with dread. We sold up, packed everything and made the move with no thoughts of going back. It's worked out wonderfully but as with going the other way it doesn't work for everyone.

[newjez]

Hi,

 

After living in OZ for nearly 10 years I wish to return to the UK for family reasons. I am a Australian Citizen and hold an Australian passport, as do my children. !8 and 17.

 

My 17 year old will be returning with me. My question is, do we need visas? can I look for work as I have a national insurance number? as my daughter does not, what do we do?

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Education for the 17 year old may be tricky. Strictly speaking they should do A levels, but they would be half way through. May require some investigation.

[newjez]

Very easy to get while in Australia, and oddly cheaper than getting in the UK.

 

We have made the move back a month ago, so if you need any help, just shout.

 

You will notice some differences, but most a pretty positive. Its funny, the biggest difference we have noticed is how much more health conscious people are. I manage a quarry that mainly employs guys from the building trade. 8 years ago, I would have walked into the canteen to see them eating pies and things. No more - they all eat salads and things. Most go to the gym. I have two VERY Irish guys. Very typical builders in their 50's. Both are t-total, eat healthy and chat about how much wait they have lost and calories and things. It is pretty funny.

 

Just passed a building site in ellenbrook with a guy in a Bob cat doing wheelies and showing off. Looked bloody dangerous. Never seen anything like it before.

[JockinTas]

Just passed a building site in ellenbrook with a guy in a Bob cat doing wheelies and showing off. Looked bloody dangerous. Never seen anything like it before.

 

Health and Safety gone out the window on that particular site then. Tut Tut.

[Rosiegirl]

Hi @KTM1963 - a bit of everything!

 

We were like you, intending to try it for a year or two. But that meant we didn't withdraw and transfer our super - and that means we'll now be up for a tax headache if we do decide to stay. We can't avoid it by popping back to Oz and doing the transaction - we'd have to go back and live in Australia long enough to establish residency again before that would work.

 

 

Do you have to withdraw and transfer super when you leave? I thought that you had to cash in at pension age from the uk?

[newjez]

Health and Safety gone out the window on that particular site then. Tut Tut.

 

It's not nice when people die at work unnecessarily. Building sites are dangerous places.

[JockinTas]

It's not nice when people die at work unnecessarily. Building sites are dangerous places.

 

They certainly are. My OH spent his working life on building sites. Wonder where the site foreman was when the bob-cat driver was acting like a clown.

[KTM1963]

Thanks for your words of wisdom. I am not at retirement age, will be 53 when I go back next March and intend to travel and work around England and Scotland.. Scottish born and raised (Highlands) but lived in England (Worcester) before heading to Australia. Sadly, both of my parents have passed away recently so have no strong ties to one particular place. Not really materialistic so happy to put stuff in storage and rent out unit. Wouldn't really bother me having no possessions as such, just want to reacquaint and have time with cousins, brother's family and friends. If, after a year I thought I could live back in UK permanently, I would sell up and sort out what needs to be done. Never married, no kids so a free agent...Excited, daunted and if I don't do it now, I never will.

[Marisawright]

Do you have to withdraw and transfer super when you leave? I thought that you had to cash in at pension age from the uk?

 

No, in fact most people can't withdraw it - but we're over 60 so we could have.

 

If you wait until you're resident in the UK, and then cash it in, the Inland Revenue will tax you on it. If you've been back in the UK for a long time, you've got a private pension there and you qualify for the British pension, then that's not such a big deal.

 

However, we're about to retire and that super is what we have to live on for the rest of our lives! So we can't afford to lose a chunk of it to tax.

[Melbpom]

No, in fact most people can't withdraw it - but we're over 60 so we could have.

 

If you wait until you're resident in the UK, and then cash it in, the Inland Revenue will tax you on it. If you've been back in the UK for a long time, you've got a private pension there and you qualify for the British pension, then that's not such a big deal.

 

However, we're about to retire and that super is what we have to live on for the rest of our lives! So we can't afford to lose a chunk of it to tax.

 

Marisa, can you give any advice about what % of tax would be payable on a lump sum of super transferred to UK. Would it be taxed at the same rate as UK income or is there a concessional rate? I'm 52 at the moment and don't really want to put life on hold and would want to re-establish myself while I'm fit and healthy, but I'll only qualify for a prorata UK pension. Returning to Oz for a couple of years to qualify for centrelink pension wouldn't be an option for personal reasons.

[Marisawright]

Marisa, can you give any advice about what % of tax would be payable on a lump sum of super transferred to UK. Would it be taxed at the same rate as UK income or is there a concessional rate? I'm 52 at the moment and don't really want to put life on hold and would want to re-establish myself while I'm fit and healthy, but I'll only qualify for a prorata UK pension. Returning to Oz for a couple of years to qualify for centrelink pension wouldn't be an option for personal reasons.

 

I don't think returning to Oz for two years would be practical for anyone - can you imagine, moving and setting up your life in the UK for a few years, then having to do it all again to go back to Oz, then having to do it all again two years later?

 

At 52, you'll have several more years before retirement to pay NI contributions and you can also apply to pay extra to "top up". Also, once you're resident in the UK, you can apply to have your Australian work record up to 2001 counted towards your qualifying years. So you might find you can get a much better pro rata UK pension than you think. You can get a pension forecast here:

 

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

 

You'll have to work out the extra years for your Aussie work record yourself, though.

 

I can't recall what the % tax is on the lump sum or how it works.

[Patphillips47]

When we returned to the UK in 2013 we were allready getting our UK pensions plus our Centrelink pensions so the DWP when we told them we were living in the UK again sent us forms as they said they would have topped up our English pension based on our pre 2001 work records in Oz Obvioulsy when we told them we were getting full Centerlink pensions we didn't get the top up on the English pensions But our Uk pensions have been unfrozen and we do now get the annual albeit small increase

Gets so complicated it makes my head twizzle now we have to do it all in reverse as we are going back to Oz again lol

[Weesh]

Hi guys,

 

Thanks for all the feedback and info. Really helpful.

 

I have another question for you.

 

We will be moving to Scotland and my daughter is hoping to go to college or uni. Will she be treated as an international student? And someone told me we would not be entitled to any benefits as we have been away from the UK for the last 2 years. Is this correct?

 

 

Cheers Weesh