britcan1

I left the UK in 2006 after my spouse and I got married in Canada. She sponsored me in 2005 and I was in Canada as permanent resident in 2006. I'm hoping someone can help us with getting us started on research on what we'd need to do so that we can both move to the UK.

Here's some information that might help:
1) I've never claimed foreign income the UK government.
2) Both my spouse and I have jobs and a property which we would be selling in order to have money in the UK while we look for new jobs.
3) We have 2 dogs that we'd like to take with us to the UK.

I've heard of people making plans to move back based on the tax year in the UK. Is this something we really need to plan for so that we don't get taxed heavily on the money that we will be taking with us to the UK?

Hoping someone out there has been in our situation before and can help us.

Thanks.

HKG3

Your OH will need a visa to come and live in the UK. If she is Canadian, there are a number of routes -

1) UK spouse visa

https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/overview

The British Citizen spouse will need to act as the sponsor. He will need to earn £18,600 p.a. or having cash savings of £62,500 for six months. The link will tell you more about the financial and other requirments you need to meet in order to get an UK spouse visa for your OH.

2) Ancestry visa

https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa/overview

If one of your spouse's grandparent was born in the UK, your spouse will qualify for this visa. No financial requirement.

3) European ancestry

Does your OH got any recent European ancestry and entitle to an EU passport? An EU citizen can exercise freedom of movement in the UK. However, the OP needs to be aware that Brexit can change the EU freedom of movement rights in two years time.

4) Moving to another EU country

The OP, a British Citizen, can also exercise EU treaty rights in another EU country. The OP's OH can relocate to that EU country based on the fact that the OP is exercising EU treaty rights there. Same as point 3 - Brexit could change things in two years time.

britcan1

Thx HKG3. Is there anything I would have to do to go back to the UK to settle? Do I also need £62,500 or would that be £62,500 in total in savings for both of us?

SanDiegogirl

You, as the Brit, can just enter the UK and be regarded as settled.

For you to sponsor your wife you need to fulfill financial, accommodation and relationship criteria.

The financial requirements are below. Read the document carefully to see how you qualify. If, as I understand it you are going to be using savings then, yes, you need 62,500 GBP which has been under your control, untouched, for 6 months.

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...equirement.pdf


The following document provides even further information with regard to using savings from the sale of property:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigrat...ified-evidence

Clause 11.d onwards.

You ship your dogs with specialist shippers

HKG3

As a British Citizen, you are free to move back to the UK at any time you wanted.

Does the OP's OH have a British born grandparent or recent European ancestry? It could make life a lot easier for both of you if the answer is yes.

britcan1

Unfortunately no.

verystormy

The proceeds from a house sale, if over 62.5k automatically meet the financial threshold.

HKG3

The OP's spouse can try and open an UK bank account with HSBC Canada before moving to the UK.

https://www.hsbc.ca/1/2/personal/new...banking-centre

Another point to think about is whether the OP wants to become a Canadian citizen before moving back to the UK?

Benson55

Its harder to move a dog back to the UK from Canada than a person who is a British Citizen.\
The CFIA site is the best one to look at for the export of animals from Canada to the EU/UK...Remember to check the microchip ISO standard thats very important and the timelines.

Pulaski

You don't get taxed on moving money back to the UK.

If you know you have a job to return to, then ideally if you timed it so you arrived back far enough ahead of the April 5th tax year end to earn the same amount as your personal tax allowance then that income would be effectively tax free. So for example if you will be paid £48k, or £4,000/mth, then starting work in early January would give you gross pay of just over £10,000, or the same as your personal allowance, so no income tax!

It's all moot if you don't have a job to come back to, or can't time a start date to early January.

britcan1

Neither of us will probably have a job before we move back but we should be able to have the £62000 in savings for 6 months prior to my partner applying for a visa.


There

britcan1

I can't seem to find where exactly it says that my spouse and I need £62,000 in savings. Do you have the exact like that shows that we need this if we both currently don't live or work in the UK?

BritInParis

First link, start at page 47.

SanDiegogirl

To sponsor, one needs to either earn or have savings of 18,600 GBP per annum, per visa term, plus 16,000 GBP

So for initial 2.5 year visa IF ONE HAS NO EARNINGS, you take 18,600 x 2.5 = 46,500 GBP, plus 16,000 GBP = 62,500 GBP