pdohr

Brits move abroad in record numbers

5 November 2004

AMSTERDAM — A record number of British citizens became expats last year, according to new figures.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics estimates 190,900 British people left the UK to live abroad, up from 185,700 in 2002.

This is the highest estimated annual outflow of British citizens since the current counting system was introduced in 1991.

In total, a record 362,000 people left Britain last year. Of these, 49,900 were EU citizens.

The figures found that, overall, 151,000 more people migrated to Britain than left in 2003, slightly lower than the 153,000 difference in 2002.

In total, 513,000 people migrated to Britain last year, the same number as in 2002.

The system counts people who have changed their country of residence

for at least a year.

IN THE YEAR 2525

I can also confirm that a lot of Brits leaving the UK also end up going back,average time spent living in a foreign country before moveing back to UK is 4 years.Cheers.

Englishmum

I would agree with your statement.

The majority of expats who are posted overseas on assignments are usually going for a term of three years. I know of many families who just go on assignment for three years and then return to their home country....including quite a number of these families being British.

We were posted overseas (Singapore) for my husband to do a major project and this was intended to be for about 12-18 months. After completing the project on time and within budget he was asked to stay on....we were there for 51/2 years and then an opportunity arose in New York....we have been here for nearly 41/2 years.

I still see England as 'home' and will definitely return one day...I don't consider myself to be an emigrant at all.

HiddenPaw

I wonder if the system quoted in the original post would class you (and me)as an immigrant on your return to the UK, since it seems to count people who have changed country of residence as migrants (i.e. does it include people returning 'home')?

Some people (perhaps the OP himself?) like to believe that the UK is a sinking ship and that the number of people leaving is purely down to wanting to bail out - I'll bet an increasing number of those leaving are those going overseas for business purposes/work opportunities (especially with the world 'getting smaller', more global companies, etc) who, like you say, fully expect to return at some point

callé

Some people (perhaps the OP himself?) like to believe that the UK is a sinking ship and that the number of people leaving is purely down to wanting to bail out - I'll bet an increasing number of those leaving are those going overseas for business purposes/work opportunities (especially with the world 'getting smaller', more global companies, etc) who, like you say, fully expect to return at some point[/QUOTE]

Agreed. I think some people have to justify leaving in their own minds. As in, of course i'm doing the right thing, the UK is sinking and everybody wants out.
like you say, in todays world, leaving for better work opportunities or even just the chance to live in a different country for a while, its an opportunity most would take. But I think most plan to return home someday. That's why it's still called 'home'.

Pretty Flowers

Rubbish, I'm emigrating to Canada, have a job over there and no intention of coming back.

Something of a massive generalisation I think...

callé

Sorry. But that is why I didnt say 'ALL' will return home.

Grayling

Let's wait and see

G

immunise

I think many people here felt that way when they were about to leave the UK, you know what...the grass is not always greener. There is a song that has the line "the most patriotic Scotsmen live in Canada or Australia"......once you spend a sustained period away from the UK you will see that it is one of the nicest places in the world to live and people need to wake up to the fact that there is so much moaning in the general public largely due to papers like The Sun, The Mirror etc banging on about how bad the UK has it compared to all these other countries and 99% of it is unjustified crap designed to appeal to the masses in order to do one thing - make money from sales.

How tired I am of hearing how bad the NHS is, or how much houses cost or how bad the weather is.....the UK is lucky to have a free at the point of service such as the NHS, buy a smaller house and you know what...it's just a little rain!

Glaswegian

It's something about passing the three year mark that probably prompts it.

Year 1 - setlling in
Year 2 - still settling in
Year 3 - still not settled in?

Sometime after that the urge to say sod it and pack up probably kicks in.

celine_uk

thank god someone said that! i agree with everything you wrote (immunise)

Lothianlad

Hi.
That is true it seems....a lot of people do return to the UK. When things get tough abroad and they can't get what they get here, and the grass no longer seems greener, what do they do? They come back here. I don't mean social security benefits or free healthcare either, although that sure is a reason a lot of people return to good old Blighty. It's a quality of life that's difficult to express adequately. The British climate is undoubtedly a spur for people to want to emigrate from the UK but nothing can be done about that..except maybe manmade (chiefly American) global warming.

A lot of older people who go to live in Spain come back to the UK when they get infirm and need care and attention. The Spanish apparently don't really come up with the goods in that department. Why else would an 82 year old man with Alzheimers disease be brought back to the UK by his wife and family and cruelly and unceremoniously dumped in the A&E department of an Essex hospital, with a note attached to his lapel from his wife saying "Look after him please....I (or we) can't cope any more" or words to that effect. His wife dumped him for that reason, so her vows of "in sickness and in health and till death do us part" were just a load of meaningless crap from that woman. This after two years living in the Spanish sunshine.


This so clearly bears out my point in this posting....when the going gets rough, they come crawling back to the UK for our social services and free health care to pick up the tab, paid for out of the tax and national insurance I see taken out of my wages each month. Someone told me the other day that UK pensioners now living in hot countries still get the winter fuel allowance payments of £200 even if they spend their "winter" days sitting in the 35C sunshine under a palm tree! That seems really minging to me.

Cheers

HiddenPaw

what a load of bollocks!

You cite one example of people finding it tough living overseas and conclude that all returnees come back for the same reason, i.e free social and health care?

Very amusing, if not a tad stupid!

RoB1833

From what I've read of your posts you were a student until recently. So when I was living in the UK I was supporting your healthcare, education, etc out of my paycheck. Is that fair?

Most people here have been paying into the British system for a long time before they left and will pay back in when they return and find work. Many will not have taken as much out as they paid in. I was single, earning decent pay and of perfect health so didn't . In my opinion returnees are still entitled to UK social help. You should think through what you say, unfortunately you can't have it all ways.

HiddenPaw

[QUOTE=RoB1833]From what I've read of your posts you were a student until recently. So when I was living in the UK I was supporting your healthcare, education, etc out of my paycheck. Is that fair?
QUOTE]
geez, he was a student till June this year? So the 82 year old guy living in Spain for all of TWO years is no longer morally entitled to British healthcare, yet probably spent 60 years paying his tax & NI, and the 22 year old recent student, who has been in the workforce for all of 6 months considers himself morally superior??? This guy isn't even going to hang around in the UK long enough to pay back into the system what he has so far taken out

Sounds like someone needs to take a less selfish look at the world.