LBJR07

So after 4 years in the US with my American husband (I'm the UKC) we have decided to plan for a return to the UK. My husband has never lived there. After looking at the requirements I was a little shocked at the financial requirements, how do people do it?!

We have a young baby so being apart for 6 months is just not an option we also don't have a bucketload of cash behind us. My mother is ill which, along with the new baby, are two of the main drives to return. I do have family in the UK who would be able to act as a sponsor for the income requirements (not enough for the savings though) but from my understanding this is not an option for the visa?!


I thought it was hard enough to get into the US but apparently now the UK is even worse ( the US allowed citizens other than the spouse to sponsor for the finances). Is there really no other way??

Britchick76

I hear ya! I'm in a similar situation me being the UKC and my partner being Australian. We have an 8 month old daughter so the prospects of me being able to earn the necessary financial requirements are pretty slim. My partner is the higher earner so it's a shame he can't be the one to get employment in the UK.

We don't have the savings either so really, I guess the only option we have is to wait until our daughter is of school age then I can work full time again.

Can't think of any other options available at the moment!

Good luck with your plans, hope something comes up for you

NiHao

I just wanted to say how sorry I am for you and so many others I have seen post on BE who are struggling with these visa financial requirements.

It all seems so arbitrary and I really don't see the point of making it so difficult for families like yours to move/return to the UK.

I think I might have seen mention of a group that is trying to lobby for change, perhaps someone will be along with a link to it. Maybe if these situations are given enough publicity eventually changes will be made.

Good luck and I hope you are able to find a way to move to the UK soon.

chaoclive

What about considering Surinder Singh? That means working in another EEA country for some time and then applying under EU law to return to the UK. This is no longer an easy option as there is no set timeframe for the stay in the EEA and you need to provide a lot of info.

You could search on this forum, www.immigrationboards.com and Google to see if it is for you.

Vexcore

Surinder Singh is closing soon... or being 'MORE STRICT'

How do people do it? well most of them have a family member who has the money....

The whole system is a right mess and a 'farce' it will change soon though... i just cant see it lasting like this because if you guys/girls really think about it.


British Born Citizen - needs to have £64.500 or have a job with £18.600 Salary to BRING HIS WIFE TO HIS HOME COUNTRY.

But..

A NONE British Born Citizen (i.e European citizen) any tom, dick and harry and enter freely with there WHOLE FAMILY get a house/flat and no finical requirements at all...

ironic isn't it? Makes my blood boil.

So you tell me... is THAT WRONG OR RIGHT? (it certainly looks bloody wrong to me)


--- Something is going to 'GIVE' soon i can feel it.

mikelincs

Not strictly true as they will not get benefits for several months, so have to have work lined up.
In the case of the financial requirements, the UK government has already been told by the courts that they are too strict and told to 'look again', this has been upheld by the court of appeal, but once again the government are appealing, so people have to wait. At the moment all applications that fail purely on financial grounds are not being rejected, but not approved either, so they are held in abeyance, waitig for a decision.

Vexcore

Several months? Try '3 Months' 3 months.. is nothing... (if it was 3 years..) then brilliant!

It's happen all the time... they come here and find work or under the old rules claim....

ncoomber

Hi LB,
Does your hubby have parents born in any EU country? If so he might be able to get a passport from that country and then live in the UK?

Is he a professional. He may be able to find a job and be sponsored for a work visa?

There is no easy route. Sorry. You may have to separate your family for a while and find a job in the UK making over the threshold before applying. Or if you can find some friends or relatives that can give you the savings (62.5K GBP) you can go the savings route and not be separated. Or consider moving to Ireland or some other EU country. Or you may just have to stay in the US and hope the thresholds are reduced in the future.

No good answers I am afraid, sorry.

Good luck
Cheers
Nigel

LBJR07

Thanks for the responses at least I'm not alone in feeling like this....my husband's family have roots in the Dominican Rep. so no EU claim there my husband is the main income in our house, has anyone been Able to receive a job offer in the UK while abroad? If so, how long until you started? Did your partner visit while they waited?

I feel like even visiting during the waiting period could be tricky if he's going to be questioned.....I know you cannot adjust from a visitor visa, how about from a short term student visa?

The savings requirement just seems so steep, I understand that it's to prevent benefit spongers but as the UKC there is nothing stopping me working over there, not to mention having family support. The new rules seem very extreme it's a shame

Good luck to all of you who are in this position and trying to get home with their families

ncoomber

http://britcits.com/

The above link is a support/action site that will give you more info and show you that you are not alone. You may get help and support. There are some horror stories on there too about people who got detained etc.

Student visa is another option but he would have to be on an approved courses etc.

good luck
Cheers
Nigel

between two worlds

It is very unfair, especially in cases where the UKC is the parent at home with children and therefore not the main wage-earner.

I do hope the financial requirements become a little less strict. But the government can reduce immigration a bit by clamping down on those of us who happened to fall in love with non-EU citizens....whereas it can do nothing about the immigration of EU people. So, in the current atmosphere of pressure to cut down total immigration, they look in our direction to tighten things up.

It really seems unjust when a hard-working family can't go home to the UKC's native land even when there is no intention to sponge off the system...

BostonBrit Expat Since 03

I've never understood how its easier for me to get my Canadian wife and myself a GC (in ~5months) with no financial details supplied whatsoever, but to return to my home country I need 60K....., I guess the UK will have to do without my Biotech skill set ...

Whats annoying is going home and seeing areas over-run with non-brits, that obviously dont have a job paying 18.5K.

Great grandad in Army, grandad in the Army, Dad in the Navy and Myself in the Army....nice one Cameron!!, way to go to keep us Brits out of our own country, your loss.

FlyingDutchman6666

I guess when your Biotech skill set will start winning votes, the UK will start caring.

SanDiegogirl

You presumably got your Green cards following your entry into the US on H1B visas. So your entry to the US was based on you having a job, not having used public funds together with being a good citizen for 5 years or more and, no doubt your employer writing a good case for you getting the Green card.

How is this different to the UK wanting someone returning to the UK with family in tow to also have a job, or at least their own finances to support themselves. You only need the 60K if you don't have a job when you enter the UK with your family.

It is no different to a US citizen wishing to bring his non US partner to the US. There are initial financial requirements to fulfill - less onerous perhaps but still needing to be met.

rebeccajo

Yeah.

You just need to have a job slightly higher than minimum wage.

You can get a third party sponsor to help out.

The government counts all your savings.

And - oh - active duty military get a concession on the financial requirements. Plus they can get an expedite of processing of the application.

Just because the Home Office lied to Parliament about the US family immigration system (in their written consultation regarding the July 2012 rules), doesn't mean we have to repeat that nonsense on self-help message boards.