Moving back home to UK

[Marinulay]

Hi. My husband is a PR for the last 50 years.. he holds a british passport and is retired. We married two and a half years ago years ago... im also from the UK.. and am still awaiting my PR visa. ...which i applied for over 2 years ago. I have a british passport. We are both retired. We want to move home to the UK.. by this summer. How do we go about it? My husbands super etc..... and does either of us need a visa to return to UK. 

[Quoll]

You might be wise to get your husband's citizenship before you leave, you never know if you might need it. As you've not got PR yet that isn't going to be an option for you. 

If you've both got British passports then make sure they're current and walk in. Talk to a financial advisor about managing your finances and what you may /may not be entitled to in both places.

Good luck! It's an amazing place to be a retiree!!!

Edited February 10, 2020 by Quoll

[VERYSTORMY]

If you have UK passports then you just get on a plane and move. So, no, no visas or anything. You are as British as anyone living in the UK. With one exception. You won't be entitled to benefits for a period of time. 

[Marinulay]

So good of you to answer! Not a worry about the benefits side of things.. but i wonder..did you all get a UK bank account... or do you keep the one you have and draw from free ATMs in UK?  So much to think about..! My husbands super etc...and streaming some of it as income. And once he puts his claim in for his aged pension...how long does it take to be sorted...? We really want to be back by end of May if poss. But his pension claim goes in 3rd May. Any advice at all? Be so grateful!

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Marinulay said:

did you all get a UK bank account... or do you keep the one you have and draw from free ATMs in UK?  

You will need a UK bank account but you won't be able to get one until you have a residence in the UK.   In the meantime, you simply continue to use your Australian account and withdraw from ATM's in the UK.  

First, though, check what your Australian bank charges for such withdrawals and what you'd be charged at the UK end too.  With the big 4 banks especially, the charges can be substantial. We tend not to notice them so much when we're on holiday but they mount up quickly.   It would be worth switching your Australian bank accounts to ING Bank, because they charge no fees for overseas withdrawals and they even refund you any fees charged at the ATM.  Their exchange rates are pretty good too.

You would then be wise to keep your Australian bank accounts for the long term, especially if you are receiving Australian payments from an income stream or aged pension. It gives you more flexibility.

If you have large sums of money to transfer, it's worth looking into currency transfer companies like Moneycorp.   

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Marinulay said:

My husbands super etc...and streaming some of it as income. And once he puts his claim in for his aged pension...how long does it take to be sorted...? We really want to be back by end of May if poss. But his pension claim goes in 3rd May. Any advice at all? Be so grateful!

There's a lot to think about on the pension front. 

You must be legally resident in Australia to claim the Australian pension.  If he leaves before he claims, he won't be able to claim it at all.  So you will have to stay until after 3rd May, unless you are willing to forfeit his pension altogether.

Once he has claimed and is in receipt of his pension, then you can safely leave and he will continue to receive it.

As for his superannuation:  if he wants to take a lump sum, then he must do so well before you leave, so it is sitting in your bank account before you cease to be resident in Australia.  Once it's in the bank account, it's just savings and you can do what you like with it.   That's vitally important, because if he waits until you're in the UK before withdrawing his lump sum, the British taxman will claim a huge chunk of it (at least 30%).

If he decides to convert it to an income stream, then it will not be taxed in Australia.  However pensions are not tax-free in Britain so he will have to declare both his Australian pension and his super income stream on his British tax return each year.   Of course you get a tax-free threshold just like in Australia, so there may not be much tax to pay, but it's worth being aware of it.

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by Marisawright

[Marinulay]

37 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

There's a lot to think about on the pension front. 

You must be legally resident in Australia to claim the Australian pension.  If he leaves before he claims, he won't be able to claim it at all.  So you will have to stay until after 3rd May, unless you are willing to forfeit his pension altogether.

Once he has claimed and is in receipt of his pension, then you can safely leave and he will continue to receive it.

As for his superannuation:  if he wants to take a lump sum, then he must do so well before you leave, so it is sitting in your bank account before you cease to be resident in Australia.  Once it's in the bank account, it's just savings and you can do what you like with it.   That's vitally important, because if he waits until you're in the UK before withdrawing his lump sum, the British taxman will claim a huge chunk of it (at least 30%).

If he decides to convert it to an income stream, then it will not be taxed in Australia.  However pensions are not tax-free in Britain so he will have to declare both his Australian pension and his super income stream on his British tax return each year.   Of course you get a tax-free threshold just like in Australia, so there may not be much tax to pay, but it's worth being aware of it.

 

Yes of course.. we are aware of having to be in Oz to claim age pension.  And certainly taking on board all your other advice! Very much appreciated

[Marisawright]

21 minutes ago, Marinulay said:

Yes of course.. we are aware of having to be in Oz to claim age pension.  

It’s not just a case of being inOz. It’s a question of having been legally  resident in Australia for 2 years on the date of claim.  So he can’t leave the country and then pop back to make the claim.

Edited February 11, 2020 by Marisawright

[Marinulay]

24 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

It’s not just a case of being inOz. It’s a question of having been legally  resident in Australia for 2 years on the date of claim.  So he can’t leave the country and then pop back to make the claim.

Yes... well hes been resident for 50 years...so were still here... just waiting to actually claim. 

[AliQ]

4 hours ago, Marinulay said:

And once he puts his claim in for his aged pension...how long does it take to be sorted...? We

Hi Marinulay, when my husband claimed his, it only took three weeks. Very easy.

 

[Marinulay]

Thanks for that! We apply on 3rd may. But we want to be in uk by end of may. Whats the chances? Or do you apply...and then you can leave?

[AliQ]

3 hours ago, Marinulay said:

Thanks for that! We apply on 3rd may. But we want to be in uk by end of may. Whats the chances? Or do you apply...and then you can leave?

Not sure if you can leave before it's finalised, Centrelink will be able to confirm that, it's best to ask just in case.

We had a four week timetable, and luckily it came through a few days before we flew.

Good luck. 

[Marisawright]

14 hours ago, Marinulay said:

Yes... well hes been resident for 50 years...so were still here... just waiting to actually claim. 

That's fine, I thought you were suggesting that you wanted to leave before his claim date.  I also agree with AliQ that you need to wait till it's approved before leaving (the Centrelink call centre may tell you otherwise but personally, I wouldn't believe them, they're notorious for handing out wrong advice).

[Marinulay]

2 hours ago, Marisawright said:

That's fine, I thought you were suggesting that you wanted to leave before his claim date.  I also agree with AliQ that you need to wait till it's approved before leaving (the Centrelink call centre may tell you otherwise but personally, I wouldn't believe them, they're notorious for handing out wrong advice).

Yes ..ive discovered that lol! I can see me coming back to thus site for the next few months...i get more and better advice than i have from even the gov. Website!  So.. im still waiting for my PR too. I wonder if i should continue to let that go through? Or should i cancel it?  Cant see us being home by the end of may now though really ... my husbands date to claim it seems...is may 6th. The reason we wanted to get back quickly is my mum. We lost my Dad..and now shes needing as much help as we can give her..shes 90. And although my sisters there... we want to help out now. 

[Marinulay]

Got to say... youre all so helpful! Sorry if im a pain... ! But im really grateful for all your replies.  Dont leave me now!

[Marinulay]

So suddenly I got my PR. About a year earlier than they said the day before. Ironic that this corona started. My husband applied for his aged pension..after a call with a financial advisor..who told us exactly what he was entitled to.  3 weeks later..everything disappeared from his centrelink and my gov apps. So he called into centrelink to see if there was a problem. Yep. He had been refused. They didnt bother to inform him of course! All theyre saying is....dont know etc. God. Im about at my wits end with it all! 

[Marisawright]

3 hours ago, Marinulay said:

So suddenly I got my PR. About a year earlier than they said the day before. Ironic that this corona started. My husband applied for his aged pension..after a call with a financial advisor..who told us exactly what he was entitled to.  3 weeks later..everything disappeared from his centrelink and my gov apps. So he called into centrelink to see if there was a problem. Yep. He had been refused. They didnt bother to inform him of course! All theyre saying is....dont know etc. God. Im about at my wits end with it all! 

Congratulations on the PR!      I suggest you do this calculator, to make sure the financial advisor gave you the right advice:

http://yourpension.com.au/APCalc/index.html

If that shows he is eligible, then print off the page so he can take it with him to Centrelink, and demand they explain why he's not.     Their staff is overworked, so they are inclined to try to brush people off without an explanation - but they will look into it if pushed!  

 

[Marinulay]

Marrisa. Thanks for answering. They finally said.... its because youre not a resident! Hes been working and living here for 50 years!  ... well we need you visa.

Yes..we gave it to you to copy.

No you couldnt have done.

These people are hopeless

[Parley]

I just hope he really wants to go back to the UK after living in Australia for 50 years.

[Marinulay]

We wouldnt be going if not!  

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Marinulay said:

Marrisa. Thanks for answering. They finally said.... its because youre not a resident! Hes been working and living here for 50 years!  ... well we need you visa.

Yes..we gave it to you to copy.

No you couldnt have done.

These people are hopeless

How annoying.  Well, all you should need to do now is provide the visa again, since they have all the other paperwork.

[Marinulay]

They said they would let us know how things are this afternoon.

They didnt

[Marinulay]

So finally...after over a month.. centrelink have processed my husbands age pension. It would have been sooner..if they could have admitted they hadnt a clue what they were doing. 3 times they said he wasnt a PR of Australia. 3 times we proved they were wrong....but they didnt put our documents in correctly. They had never heard of the visa he was on..because its from the 70s. I finally got through to the office of home affairs..and spoke to a fantastic lady there..who had it sorted in 5 mins! She told us to add it to VEVO...which we did no problem. Took it to centrelink who said...no we cant look at that. ! Never in my life have I come across anything as bad as this! So finally..we get a call from a guy in appeals. Sorted.! We had done everything correctly.....which we knew anyway! Only thing now is..... to actually see it on paper..and in our bank. Lesson learned........if youre dealing with centrelink...do your research...find out yourself! Rant over.

[Toots]

6 minutes ago, Marinulay said:

So finally...after over a month.. centrelink have processed my husbands age pension. It would have been sooner..if they could have admitted they hadnt a clue what they were doing. 3 times they said he wasnt a PR of Australia. 3 times we proved they were wrong....but they didnt put our documents in correctly. They had never heard of the visa he was on..because its from the 70s. I finally got through to the office of home affairs..and spoke to a fantastic lady there..who had it sorted in 5 mins! She told us to add it to VEVO...which we did no problem. Took it to centrelink who said...no we cant look at that. ! Never in my life have I come across anything as bad as this! So finally..we get a call from a guy in appeals. Sorted.! We had done everything correctly.....which we knew anyway! Only thing now is..... to actually see it on paper..and in our bank. Lesson learned........if youre dealing with centrelink...do your research...find out yourself! Rant over.

It's also a lesson to everyone who has lived in Australia for over 4 years to take out citizenship.  It will save a lot of hassle down the line.

[Loopylu]

I wish I did not have dual citizenship then I could leave Australia (flights permitting) without having to seek special permission from a country where I was not born.