What would you do?

[Fisher1]

On 10/08/2020 at 13:19, ozuk said:

No work allowed on the bridging visa. 

 

The problem is I don't have enough to buy a house or even an apartment. 

My original plan was to go to Spain as you can rent there very cheaply unlike Australia, but with uncertainty over Brexit I decided not to go as I wouldn't be able to stay there for more than 3 months. 

That’s not true. If you go to Spain after the end of December when all is done and dusted, you won’t be able to stay longer than three months, but people currently resident can stay, providing they register. You still have time to go to Spain and establish yourself as a resident. I believe the Spanish government are accepting rental leases as evidence of residence. It’s not as simple as all that, but I’d look into it if I were you. And yes, anyone seriously intending to make a life in Spain should learn Spanish.

[Paul1Perth]

17 hours ago, Marisawright said:

...but the OP isn't eligible for the Australian pension and never will be

The OP sounds quite young so their situation could change. Who knows, they might end up with citizenship. 

[Paul1Perth]

17 hours ago, Marisawright said:

...but the OP isn't eligible for the Australian pension and never will be

The OP sounds quite young so their situation could change. Who knows, they might end up with citizenship. 

[Marisawright]

3 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

The OP sounds quite young so their situation could change. Who knows, they might end up with citizenship. 

@Paul1Perth, the OP is over 50 and has applied for a visa that has a 50 year waiting period. 

 

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Fisher1 said:

You still have time to go to Spain and establish yourself as a resident. I believe the Spanish government are accepting rental leases as evidence of residence. It’s not as simple as all that, but I’d look into it if I were you. And yes, anyone seriously intending to make a life in Spain should learn Spanish.

You are correct.  Registered British residents in Spain were never in any danger of losing their right to live there.

The only reason fo the media panic was that many Brits in Spain had never registered. They just entered Spain as a tourist and stayed (in fact, they probably weren't even aware there was a procedure to follow).  In theory, that makes them illegal residents, but while we were in the EU, no one worried too much about it. 

Provided the OP moves asap, finds a place to rent, and makes sure to register as a resident, they shouldn't have any problems.  The hardest part is probably registering as it's in Spanish, but if he chooses an expat community, he'll be able to find someone who can assist with that. 

I agree that if you're going to live in Spain, you'll have a much better experience if you speak Spanish. However, I know people who live in expat communities there with very little knowledge of the language, and they manage fine.  

Edited August 12, 2020 by Marisawright

[Fisher1]

The problem with anglophone communities of migrant brits is that they tend to be very insular. All the Brits I know who have migrated to Spain have been there more than two decades and have worked hard to learn Spanish - they have integrated well and are not restricted to a small (and ever diminishing?) group of people who will always be dependent on someone else to translate for them

[Paul1Perth]

On 12/08/2020 at 07:52, Marisawright said:

@Paul1Perth, the OP is over 50 and has applied for a visa that has a 50 year waiting period. 

 

Must have missed that bit. Over 50 and trying to get a visa, not much chance I reckon.

[Tulip1]

47 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

Must have missed that bit. Over 50 and trying to get a visa, not much chance I reckon.

It must be the last remaining relative one. 

[Tulip1]

On 13/08/2020 at 06:47, Fisher1 said:

The problem with anglophone communities of migrant brits is that they tend to be very insular. All the Brits I know who have migrated to Spain have been there more than two decades and have worked hard to learn Spanish - they have integrated well and are not restricted to a small (and ever diminishing?) group of people who will always be dependent on someone else to translate for them

I agree. I couldn’t imagine living somewhere and having the constant trouble of having to get by on limited language. Many years ago I went to night school to learn Spanish. The class was mostly people that intended to move there but not everyone.  I just fancied learning something and thought I’d like to know more than just how to order a vino tinto when I was on holiday so why not.  I reckon if people who moved there just learnt a little that would give them the confidence to try it out which in turn would just lead on to learning more. 

[ramot]

1 hour ago, Tulip1 said:

I agree. I couldn’t imagine living somewhere and having the constant trouble of having to get by on limited language. Many years ago I went to night school to learn Spanish. The class was mostly people that intended to move there but not everyone.  I just fancied learning something and thought I’d like to know more than just how to order a vino tinto when I was on holiday so why not.  I reckon if people who moved there just learnt a little that would give them the confidence to try it out which in turn would just lead on to learning more. 

I found Bahasa Malay difficult to learn when I lived in Brunei, but I did go to classes to try to learn it. The problem is that English was the main language, schools are taught in English, local newspaper was in English plus everything in the supermarkets banks, most restaurants etc, so there was very little need to speak Malay. It was Useful to have a slight knowledge though eg in the local markets. 

I learnt one of the most important words ‘tandas’ for toilet.