Steve Junion

I'm a dual NZ/UK citizen (UK via my mother). I was looking at moving the wife and kids (all NZ citizens, wife is by naturalization) to the UK. However I'm stumped by the website which seems a jumbled mess to me

When I looked a couple of years ago it seems pretty straight forward, but now it seems much more difficult? Basically I would like us to move to the UK and for the wife and myself to work, and the kids go to school. I looked at the visas for the wife and kids and the fees seem to be $1700 NZD per person?!? My god. On top of that, I would need a job in the UK for 6 months before I even apply for this which would require us to split up for a huge amount of time. Is that it then? I'm pretty confident I can get a job earning over 20,000 pounds but that 6 months+ delay is a killer. If there is no other way then I'm going to have to give up on this idea which is a shame

Is there any other alternative ways people know of?

rebeccajo

Are you earning the UK equivalent of £18600 now? And if so, could you obtain a contract for job in the UK - earning over £18600 - before going back there?

Also I presume you have determined your children are not eligible for UK passports?

Steve Junion

Yes I'm earning about $65k NZD which is about 33,000 pounds. The wife also earns similar but I don't think she counts anyway? I think it's certainly possible I can get a job earning that much (I would hope so) but it's the 6 month requirement that really puts me off. I don't want to spend over 6 months in the UK without my family until they join me

Sadly my kids are not eligible. I am only UK citizen by descent so it doesn't pass down to them.

rebeccajo

If you can obtain an employment contract before you go over (and said employment will start within three months of your arrival) and you can prove all this - then you can go over together without separation.

Dig a little deeper in the rules and you'll find this category of income verification.

PS - because the kids aren't British, then you have to up the income amount required. That will make the earnings requirements higher on both ends - the NZ end and the UK job offer.

And no - your wife's earnings don't count. The Home Office thinks she will sit on her arse in Britian and never work.

Steve Junion

Thanks for that. I think I may be able to squeak into the income requirements, even with the two kids. That is after I bankrupt myself with the visa fees.

I don't understand why this has all changed. These are extremely strict requirements, not to mention quite illogical. Why wouldn't they include the spouses income? That's bizarre.

The way the world is going only the filthy rich will ever be able to move countries in the not so distant future

rebeccajo

It's changed because of EU immigration that occurred in the UK within the last 10 years. And because of the Daily Mail.

SanDiegogirl

You can go the Surinder Singh route - which is to go to another EU country, get job and remain there for say 6 months and then move to UK as EU citizen exercising EU treaty rights.

See the following thread for how one forum member did it:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=804420

englishguygoinghome

If your wife is NZ by naturalisation, does she still hold any other citizenships?

It is only her visa which has the difficult sponsorship requirements, not the children's visas.

BritInParis

Have you lived in the UK previously? If you've lived there for three continuous years at any time before your children were born they would be eligible to be registered as British citizens and go back on British passports.

With your current salary, so long as you have a job offer in the UK with a salary offering over the threshold, then your family can move en masse, no need to wait for six months.

As englishguygoinghome mentioned, does your wife hold any other citizenships or have any European heritage? It may entitle her to a passport or ancestry visa that would bypass the partner visa requirements.

Steve Junion

Hey guys

No,the wife is only a NZ citizen and she's ethnic asian not euro. She had to renounce her native one as her country does not allow dual-citizenship.

Also none of my family have ever been to the UK, and I haven't been since I was a kid.

I will still pursue it. The costs are much higher than I expected but I should be able to get a job earning the required money so it's still do-able. I just wish they didn't make it so hard for someone with a British mother and four British grandparents to enter the country with a family. Oh well.

SanDiegogirl

What about savings/investments?

If you own your own property in NZ would that not release equity enough to qualify?