Arado234

Hi,

I have a lot of questions I hope you guys cannhelp with me with, but first I need to explain my present situation:

I was born in the UK in 1959 and lived there for 50 years before moving to the US in 2011 to get married on reflection we both didn't consider the consequences or logistics involved, over the course of 10-11 years the marriage has crumbled to the point my wife had filed for divorce. Ok had to give up everything when I left the UK apart from a few personal belongings( a lot was sold off as it was taking up too much room) .
I want to know know what would be involved to re instate myself as an English citizen ( all my family were born in the UK) if I go back to the UK to live. I am currently a permanent resident in the US. My wife isn't going to drag this through the courts she just wants a quiet end to things.
I have friends in the UK who will house me until I get sorted out and I can easily get my personal belongings stored, but my wife wants me to take the dog with me, he's an 8 year old toy poodle.
if I can get some help from the state until I can get back on my feet I can look after myself.
I'm trying to work out how to navigate immigration the best way.
any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
I have quite a lot to close down in the US before I go as well which is pretty straight forward thankfully.
This isn't a cop out, and it's not easy, but it's the one route I have I known from childhood.
I don't want anything for free just some help to reset my life until I can do it on my own.
I'm fully vaccinated as well.

Any help would be incredibly helpful.
Thank you.
Steve in Richmond USA.

christmasoompa

Did you actually formally renounce your British citizenship? If not, then you are still a citizen, you don't need to do anything. As far as benefits, you're not eligible for them straight away, but you will be after a while (search for 'habitually resident' on the forum for more info). Have you been paying voluntary National Insurance contributions so you can get a full UK state pension?

Worth looking at getting US citizenship too, so you can return if you change your mind and decide the UK isn't for you after all.

I'll move this to the relevant forum as The Welcome Inn is only a place to say hello, you'll get more help there.

Best of luck with the move back.

SanDiegogirl

As said, unless you actually, formally, renounced your British citizenship, then you still ARE a Brit.
Presume you have a Brit Passport, so it's just a case of flying home to the UK and setting yourself up.

spouse of scouse

Hi Steve. I'm sorry that things didn't work out for you in the US. As others have said, British citizens don't need to do anything special to move back to the UK, it only needs you and your British passport.

You'll be eligible for the NHS as soon as you move back with the intention of residing there permanently.

Your eligibility for any benefits will be subject to the Habitual Residence test (as well as the usual assets and income tests), as Christmasoompa pointed out. This link to the Citizens Advice Bureau explains further
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/be...ming-benefits/

Re. bringing your dog back, there are a few hoops to jump through for that, more info here
https://www.gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain

Best of luck with everything and if you need any more pointers British Expats is always here to help.

DURHAM

I,m a British citzen living in Canada and also have some questions please:
Moved to Canada with wife & kids in 2006, and we are all Canadian cizens and passport holders now.
My British passport expired a few months back and i,m thinking about renewing it.
What are the benefits of keeping my British passport updated as i can use my Canadian passport to travel ?
Any benefits over the Canadian passport when visiting back to UK at the airport?
Can i wait to renew my passport in 5 - 10 yrs ?

BritInParis

That would depend on your circumstances. Are you likely to visit a country that requires a visa for Canadian citizens but not for British passport holders? Do you foresee a need to move back to the UK for a period of time at short notice, perhaps to care for an aged parent? If not then you probably don’t need to keep your British passport. Personally I would always keep my passports valid but it is ultimately a matter of preference.

DURHAM

Thanks BritinParis, I have family back home.in England If i go visit them or need to go at short notice i presume i can do that with a Canadian passport- anyone know how long u can stay with a Canadian passport ? Would i still be entitled to health care if needed on a visit back home without having renewed my British passport ?

BritInParis

You can visit for up to six months on a Canadian passport and as a British citizen you can stay indefinitely but proving your status to access services long term is likely to be more difficult without a valid British passport. In theory a valid Canadian passport in conjunction with an expired British one should be sufficient for almost all purposes but it will obviously depend on the jobsworthiness of whoever you are dealing with.

As a visitor you are not entitled to secondary NHS services regardless of your passport as eligibility is based on residence rather than citizenship.