Sharlene

I am a Bahamian & US citizen married to an Englishman and I'm moving to Northampton from Florida (Yes I know I'm nuts). The earliest I can move is 6 months because of the animal quarantine laws in the UK. I have a Pug so only 2 airlines will allow my dog to fly over. Does anyone have any advice for moving over and what to bring and how to ship my house & kitchen items over without fear of them being lost or confiscated. Also my husband found out that its not easy to sponsor me for UK residency. Does anyone know anything about that?

ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED!!!

Dan725

Hi,

I think that you'll find its probably not that tricky for your husband to sponsor you across with your nationality(s).

A very good place for you to research would be http://www.uk-yankee.com/ which can answer many of your questions.

Good luck!

Sharlene

Thank you for the information. I'm hoping to find some good information.

Marmalade

I can't really give much advice, but good luck with your move Sharlene. There will be lots of posters who will be able to help on here. And, you are definitely not NUTS

Jerseygirl

As far as household items are concerned I would be tempted to only take back small items. Items such as furniture are probably too large for the average UK house.

Try using the search option at the top of the page to find out more info on becoming a UK resident...it has been discussed on here several times. JAJ will probably be along before long...he will be able to advise you.

I don't think you're nuts either.

JAJ

It's not difficult for him to sponsor you. Start at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk

You'd be able to apply for U.K. permanent residence (Indefinite Leave to Remain) after just under 2 years.

After 3 years living in the U.K. you can become a naturalised British citizen if you like. It would not affect your American citizenship. If you want to keep your Bahamas citizenship you would need to check with the Bahamas authorities directly.

Speaking of citizenship, if your husband is not a U.S. citizen has he thought about naturalization before he leaves, in case you want to come back later on?

JAJ

Good point. It might still be worth looking at bringing the high quality bits of furniture, and disposing of junk.

Sharlene

Keeping my Bahamian citizenship is no problem since we are part of the Commonwealth. My husband has no desire to become a US citizen as he would rather become a Bahamian citizen (quality of life is much better in our opinion). It just seems easier for me to sponsor him than the other way around. But we will get it sorted out somehow.

Thank you for the great information. Now if they would only shorten the quarantine time to 3 months rather than 6 months that would be better.

Scout

It's really more like 7 months from start to finish to get your pets in.

JAJ

You shouldn't make an assumption like that. Quite a few Commonwealth countries revoke the citizenship of their citizens who voluntarily acquire another one (including those who become British citizens).


That's obviously his choice. But circumstances and plans change in life, and we do see people on these forums who regret not taking up an opportunity like that when it was available.