Coxy7 Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Hi just wondering. I’m new here hello and thank you for reading. So I used to live in Australia and am a citizen. I moved back to the UK 9 years ago and have been wanting to return to Australia ever since and have been actively trying pre COVID. My first challenge is our AU passports have expired and I have to wait for the London embassy to open before I can get a passport, not really keen on travelling without a passport. I know it’s an option but I don’t trust it, that something might happen en route and we are without AU passports. So I can wait for that, hoping the office will open when England lockdown ends. Second challenge is that you now can’t leave the UK without a good reason and moving overseas isn’t on the list! Going home is on the list. So if I haven’t been there for 9 years will it still count as going home? I have been waiting for my husband to agree to come home (to Australia) which luckily now he wants to do more than ever as we live in Scotland which is not the same place I left (a different conversation and my opinion of course) and filled with division ( another conversation). Secondly we have been waiting on our beloved dog to pass on as he was too old to come with us. Thirdly we were waiting on the house to sell and latterly COVID-19 to stop ruining everyone’s lives. In Scotland we have been in lockdown for almost a year, we had a short time off when shops were open and the kids have only been to school one term this year and I think this is definitely sealing the deal for him. I am supposed to be shielding ie. at high risk of mortality if I catch COVID but that’s quite impossible with young children who need fresh air and I am their only source of exercise, play, food, some sort of fun and my husband works long shifts and is tired etc. so any advice re leaving the UK and getting back into Australia would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 3 minutes ago, Coxy7 said: I moved back to the UK 9 years ago and have been wanting to return to Australia ever since and have been actively trying pre COVID. ... My first challenge is our AU passports have expired and I have to wait for the London embassy to open before I can get a passport, not really keen on travelling without a passport. I know it’s an option but I don’t trust it. Do you have a British passport? If so, why worry? 3 minutes ago, Coxy7 said: Second challenge is that you now can’t leave the UK without a good reason and moving overseas isn’t on the list! Going home is on the list. So if I haven’t been there for 9 years will it still count as going home? Yes, it does. The thing is, they really don't care about people leaving - what they're worried about is you pretending to leave and then wanting to come back and bring Covid with you. Provide proof that you're leaving for good, i.e proof that you've put your house on the market, given notice for your jobs etc, and you shouldn't have a problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coxy7 Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 Ok thank you Marissawright. I suppose I wanted a passport because if anything did happen I wanted to be sent back to Australia and not the UK, but maybe it’s worth the risk because things don’t normally happen and I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m relieved you think they’ll be ok about me leaving the UK, I never thought about taking evidence to prove it was permanent, probably feeling a bit overwhelmed. I kind of thought it would be ok too but couldn’t see an option, like a tick box (sometimes not everything fits perfectly into a tick box ). I just remembered something else. Because I’m shielding I’ll get my second vaccination in May, my husband probably won’t get his first until June (maybe) and second in August (again not certain). Do you think that if we went to Australia he would get his vaccination? I’m worried, probably foolishly, he might miss out here if we leave too early and then miss out there if we leave too late because maybe they might have done them all or something. It sounds silly even reading it back to myself but I have to ask someone for their opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 (edited) 26 minutes ago, Coxy7 said: Ok thank you Marissawright. I suppose I wanted a passport because if anything did happen I wanted to be sent back to Australia Read up the Australian Consulate on what you need to take with you: https://uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/PassportsWelcomePage.html The advice about who can leave the UK seems confusing. On the surface, being British seems to mean you can't leave, but at the same time, there is a category for leaving permanently. Perhaps the best idea is to apply, stating that you're Australian and using your Australian documents. It does ask you to send supporting evidence by a separate email. As for vaccinations - Australia has barely even started vaccinations yet and won't be finished till December or so. Edited March 14, 2021 by Marisawright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coxy7 Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 Ok thanks again. maybe I should denounce my British citizenship (that’s a joke, I know that’s probably not the best idea) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhand Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 10 hours ago, Coxy7 said: My first challenge is our AU passports have expired and I have to wait for the London embassy to open before I can get a passport, not really keen on travelling without a passport. I know it’s an option but I don’t trust it, that something might happen en route and we are without AU passports. So I can wait for that, hoping the office will open when England lockdown ends. If it’s impossible to get a new passport, you can apply for something called an Australian Declaratory Visa (which isn’t actually a visa) which evidences your Australian citizenship against your UK passport; but following the link that @Marisawright provided gives you other options including the undocumented uplift. 10 hours ago, Coxy7 said: Second challenge is that you now can’t leave the UK without a good reason and moving overseas isn’t on the list! Going home is on the list. So if I haven’t been there for 9 years will it still count as going home? Don’t overthink this part of it would be my view. 8 hours ago, Marisawright said: On the surface, being British seems to mean you can't leave, but at the same time, there is a category for leaving permanently. Perhaps the best idea is to apply, stating that you're Australian and using your Australian documents. It’s nowhere near as strict as Australia here and you basically self certify your reasons. You only have to fill in a form - you don’t send it to anyone and no-one is allowed to ask for it except the police and it seems they generally don’t. You just fill in the form, go to the airport with the form and get on the plane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coxy7 Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 Ok thank you @paulhand that’s good to know I am overthinking a lot. It’s exhausting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris N Lora Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 (edited) https://uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/PassportsWelcomePage.html you do not need a valid Australian passport at current, here It shows the process. when you get a chance call the passport service over here they are helpful. Edited March 17, 2021 by Chris N Lora Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada2Australia Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 (edited) On 14/03/2021 at 19:06, Coxy7 said: Ok thanks again. maybe I should denounce my British citizenship (that’s a joke, I know that’s probably not the best idea) You should never denounce your British Citizenship; doing that would likely be the biggest mistake in your life IMHO. It's your home and where your family live. It is who you are and where you are from, and always will be. Don't ever renounce where you come from. I get you may have been using sarcasm, but still I just wanted to state my opinion because I feel strongly about that. This country is not the perfect paradise with perfect people that so many make it out to me, myself included. I've learnt that the very hard way. Edited March 17, 2021 by Canada2Australia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coxy7 Posted March 17, 2021 Author Share Posted March 17, 2021 Hi @Canada2Australia no, I would never denounce my UK citizenship it was very much not serious and a silly thing to say. You’re right.I do know it’s not the perfect paradise by any means and sometimes I have to remind myself of that.I lived there for a long time and sometimes it’s not easy. X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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