NottmTex Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Hi guys! Would very much appreciate some help to help us tie up some loose ends before we move back to the UK - btw this forum is incredible, so much knowledge and want to help people is amazing! So our story is I am originally born in Nottingham, moved to Oz when I was 5, go back a lot but now want to move back to Notts to be closer to my family. I will be moving with my partner who is an Australian citizen. I have a few points & questions that I would love some help with. We're looking to move back for 2-3 years before potentially coming back to Oz to start our own family. 1. Is going for a partner Visa the best way to get my partner over to the UK? 2. Superannuation. Do we keep contributing to this or do we call our super funds up and try to minimise costs as much as possible? 3. HECS Debt. Should we still be making contributions whilst in the UK? 4. Bank accounts. I've seen we'll need to do this when in England (we have a family residential address we'll be staying at) - what is the best way to transfer money to our UK bank account? Or is it better to use an Australian bank account like ING and use that card as much as possible as they have a debit card that doesn't charge international fees? 5. List of places we'll need to alert when we leave? Bank/government etc? 6. Cars. Is it best to buy second-hand cars over there or lease? 7. What's the best way to set up national Insurance & NHS? 8. Anything I've missed? Again, sorry for the long-winded message. I have looked up a lot of this stuff and seen many different online articles. I wanted to come here as the knowledge of this group is impeccable and extremely helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 1. Is going for a partner Visa the best way to get my partner over to the UK? Yes, that's her only option. 2. Superannuation. Do we keep contributing to this ? Probably not worth contributing any further. Once you are settled in the UK, write to them with your new address and instruct them to cancel all insurances, since they probably won't be valid anyway. 3. HECS Debt. Should we still be making contributions whilst in the UK? Yes 4. Bank accounts. I've seen we'll need to do this when in England (we have a family residential address we'll be staying at) - what is the best way to transfer money to our UK bank account? Wise or a similar company. It may take a while to get your UK bank account set up. While you're waiting for that to happen, use your Aussie debit and credit cards exactly as you would in Australia. Check each ATM when you go to use it - a few still charge a fee for international cards but most don't. Consider switching over to a bank like HSBC, ING etc which don't charge international fees on your debit/credit card usage. 5. List of places we'll need to alert when we leave? Bank/government etc? Tell the bank you're going overseas or you'll have difficulties with overseas transactions. Consider whether you want to forward your mail (it's expensive - could you get it forwarded to a friend in Australia instead?). Should get off the electoral roll but I forget how to do that. 6. Cars. Is it best to buy second-hand cars over there or lease? Apparently nearly everyone in the UK leases their cars rather than buying. That does NOT mean it's the cheapest way to do it. It just means people are tempted into buying a car they couldn't otherwise afford. Make sure you work out what the lease will really cost you before deciding to go that route. We got a good deal on a second-hand car when we were in the UK and the dealer (shock horror) was actually honest and reasonable. 7. What's the best way to set up national Insurance & NHS? Someone else may recall how to do NI. For the NHS, just go and register with a doctor and they sort it out. 8. Anything I've missed? Tax. No need to do anything when you leave, but when you do your final Austrailan tax return, make sure to tick the box to let them know it will be your last one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 (edited) With respect to visas, the best - if she is eligible - would be the ancestry visa but she would need a British born grandparent to get that otherwise, yes, a partner visa. As for cars, plenty of second hand cars on the market - cant say that I know of too many that lease (my son does but he's the only one I know) and you can get a second hand runabout quite cheaply to start yourself off. Phones - do you want to keep your Aus number for things like bank communications? I had real trouble with St George who could not work out how to get their system to call a UK number and so I had to keep my Aus number - changed it to a 365 day Vodafone plan which cost dollars rather than hundreds of dollars. Definitely tell your bank that you are going OS or they will begin to freak when you start using your card in UK. Edited January 10, 2022 by Quoll 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tea4too Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 1 hour ago, Marisawright said: 7. What's the best way to set up national Insurance & NHS? Someone else may recall how to do NI. For the NHS, just go and register with a doctor and they sort it out. You can apply for a National insurance number online, information and guidance here:. https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandL Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 1. Is going for a partner Visa the best way to get my partner over to the UK? Don't know your circumstances but if you are married , for more then 5 years , you should be apply for an IRL Visa from Australia , after 2 year in the UK you can then apply for citizenship ( at least that was the case a few years ago) 5. List of places we'll need to alert when we leave? Bank/government etc? Health insurance , make sure you suspend it , so should you change your mind and go back to OZ ( happens to some ) you keep your accumulated benefit allowances if you re-join within 30 days of arrival. Electoral role, fill in the leaving overseas form, i forgot ( that time i was registered in QLD) to do so, when i got back to OZ after a few years in the UK, my driver license had been suspended ( which also disqualifies you from driving under any other overseas driver's license) , due to non-voting and not paying the fine i knew nothing about . 6. Cars. Is it best to buy second-hand cars over there or lease? Leasing is fair enough, if you have any credit rating in the UK ( which seems to be Über important here ) , i couldn't even get a mobile phone contract without paying a deposit as I had no credit rating in the UK after arrival 7. other things : if you use two-factor authentication via SMS on your internet logins , make sure you either change them to another method or make sure AU phone works in UK so you can sort that after arrival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 I have an account with ME bank and they have no problems with my UK mobile number. My biggest issue was I can’t change my medicare address to overseas so I used my son’s address in Oz as they sent a new card recently. ATO and another one on the gov.au website were fine with my uk address but not medicare. GP will need evidence of uk address to register you. Usually a utility bill or council tax bill. The receptionist will tell you what they accept. It’s worth getting a statement of no claims for insurance if you can. Admiral in the uk accept overseas no claims, a couple of others do as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIG85 Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 13 hours ago, Marisawright said: 2. Superannuation. Do we keep contributing to this ? Probably not worth contributing any further. Once you are settled in the UK, write to them with your new address and instruct them to cancel all insurances, since they probably won't be valid anyway. Even if you're not heading back to the UK, you should seriously consider doing cancelling all super insurances anyway. Super insurance is one giant rip off: the cover you can get for paying premiums to a third party life insurer is an order of magnitude greater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 14 minutes ago, DIG85 said: Even if you're not heading back to the UK, you should seriously consider doing cancelling all super insurances anyway. Super insurance is one giant rip off: the cover you can get for paying premiums to a third party life insurer is an order of magnitude greater. I always thought that too, but I was advised, by people who know the business, that I was wrong. You need to look at your particular Super fund and check their policy. They vary a LOT, and some Super insurance is way cheaper than buying it from a third party. Also, with many Superannuation providers, you'll find that insurance is compulsory and you can't cancel it even if you wanted to, unless you go overseas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NottmTex Posted January 11, 2022 Author Share Posted January 11, 2022 Thanks everyone so much for your comments and help, honestly really appreciate it and your awesome knowledge! Have another question, when and how is it best to transfer over Australian drivers license to UK license? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 Just now, NottmTex said: Thanks everyone so much for your comments and help, honestly really appreciate it and your awesome knowledge! Have another question, when and how is it best to transfer over Australian drivers license to UK license? You can drive for up to a year on your Australian licence so there's no rush. https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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