Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Oh fellow expats... it's been more than 20 years I've lived here in the US. I am now a dual citizen with two dual citizen children and a US husband of many years. It has become apparent that we need to move to the UK.

My husband will need sponsoring for paperwork to move to the UK. I'll have to pay thousands to send the cat over (I sent my beloved dog to my parents in UK back in 2012, I don't relish the APHIS thing again!). I need to find a rental home, then ultimately a house for sale. I can't even work out how to open a bank account (why oh why did I shut down my Natwest account in 2013?!?).

Is there anyone on here who moved back and can tell me it's worth it? Thank you.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Loads of people on this form have written that moving back to the UK was the best thing they had ever done, totally worth it .... some people not so much

It's all according to why you want to move back and what you expect when you get there....

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

+1

We are among the group that think moving back after 29 years was a great decision, even leaving our adult children behind in the USA, although our son did move back a year later.

However, we are both UK/US dual citizens and were born here, as were our children so we very much knew what we were coming back to as we had made a number of long visits after retiring in the USA.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Moving back in just under 4 weeks and I felt the same way when trying to make that final decision and still having wobbles on the daily. The way I think about it is Its either going to be a really expensive holiday or we will be really happy! It does seem very overwhelming to think about planning everything but one you decide it will all click into place.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Thanks. It's mind blowing how much stuff we will have to give away/sell and then have to repurchase on the other end (but I got a guesstimate of $12k to ship about a 3rd of our stuff!!!). If we sell our house here it would be super hard to get back on the ladder so it also makes you nervous in that regard - walking back the decision after the "long, expensive holiday" (lol) would be tricky. My children would also lose their places at the school they are in here. Oh well. I suppose it's not worth fussing over the what-ifs. I hope yours goes smoothly, please let me know how you get on. We're planning to visit the UK this summer to narrow down locations.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Thanks. I think this would be less stressful if my husband were a UK citizen as he'd be able to apply for jobs and have an idea of salary/areas in advance. As it is we have lots of paperwork and guessing we have to do. He's the breadwinner here, so shifting to me taking that role in order to "support" his application isn't something I'm looking forward to either.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

We're looking to move to somewhere far away from where I grew up, so at least all of us would be similarly unfamiliar with it! We're pragmatic about what to expect, having visited the UK so many times over the years. But it's such an expensive and time consuming undertaking I wish I could see how it will all pan out.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Read the following document carefully to see how you qualify for sponsoring your husband:

https://assets.publishing.service.go...equirement.pdf

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

This! :nod:

I am puzzled by the apparent contradiction of "It has become apparent that we need to move to the UK." and "Is there anyone on here who moved back and can tell me it's worth it? :confused:

If you "need" to move, isn't it almost automatically "worth it"? :unsure:

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Thank you, we did review previously

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

I just wanted to wish you all the very best for your move to the UK. It can be such a hard decision to make . A roller coaster emotional turmoil in the mind.

A little reassurance from those that have achieved it goes a long way to soothing the worries eh?

You go girl !

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

You can.

And as of 9:15am UK time this morning, I have :)

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Congratulations!! :thumbsup:

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Thanks. Feels a bit strange to say that I live here now.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

I would occasionally wake up slowly in a morning and then realize that we were in England and that we had actually done it. It is a wonderful feeling but it's now been a long time since such awakenings happened. We moved back to the small town we lived when our children were born and where we had such great memories. We only actually lived there for just over 6 years ('79 to'85) even though memory makes it seem longer, and it has now been just over 6 years since we moved back, in May 2016.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Thank you so much for saying that!!

It's super daunting. I moved here basically right after uni so have never lived in the UK as a *proper* adult. And am still young enough that I have years of work ahead of me before retiring, so many things to take into consideration. I read through the stories on here where people update, but a lot are people of retirement age returning (which is of course useful, but I imagine the logistics and mindset do differ), or people who lived in UK as a couple before returning, but this will be the first time living there for my H. I'm sure my children will be keen to blame me if they don't like it! lol. I really appreciate people offering their thoughts, encouragement and experiences.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Wow! Congratulations!

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

I'm in a similar position Stelly
I've lived in the US since 98. I am going through a divorce, and I am so tired of being alone and having to start again. Having no family here is and has been very hard. So I have made the decision to move back to UK within the next 12 months (hopefully sooner)
I keep wondering if I will be able to get used to the British weather again, the NHS system, having to start from zero with obtaining any kind of credit, like getting a mortgage etc.

Yes, I'm scared of the change. So seeing everyone's posts who have successfully transitioned is really helping me. So thanks for posting this thread. I look forward to seeing more comments :)

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

I did exactly that this morning.

It was - a lot. And it took the lump sum severance pay I got when I was laid off from my job due to covid. So like Rasta Mouse, it made a bad ting good.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

I am in the exact same place right now, it's like your thread title was my question almost!

I'm like you that I have live abroad most of my adult life (in Cyprus not the USA) and now with family and no idea how to settle. It took so long to get established here and starting over again seems daunting especially as I have two babies to care for. What is keeping me strong is the amount of support we've been offered by friends and family in the UK who really want us home. Also reminding myself of why we decided to leave in the fist place. Excellent education, free healthcare, better public services, not living in a banana republic

All the best on your journey ahead!

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Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Well, I wish you luck with it! We're going over early this summer to check out places we might want to live in (there's no way I'd go back to super crowded Hampshire where I'm from and my family are). After that we plan to have a discussion with the kids and see if we might rent a place from Dec/Jan with a view to getting the kids into school there and the 3 of us testing it out, while my husband tidies up our house here (including de-1980s-ing the kitchen!) and keeps working at his job which is more lucrative than most of the things we see advertised for him in UK. Only once we know kids and I can hack it back there will we look to uproot him and bring him over. At least, that's the plan now. We have to see if we can get through two weeks of holiday, lol. Last time we visited in summer there was a heatwave for 4 days in the SE and all 4 of us HATED being without AC and swore never to live there. Then we drove up to the NW and entered another climate altogether and saw a kid wearing a snowsuit, lol. You never know!

If I can be any help as someone to bounce things off, please reach out. I'm in NJ.

Re: Can I really do this? Should I really do this?
 

Thank you! It's crazy isn't it? My halfway point (where I've lived more days of my life here than I did in the UK) is in 2 weeks! I'm so used to it here, it's terrifying thinking of going back and having people automatically assume because of my accent that I know what I'm doing! I don't even have a Nectar card:lol:
Do your family all have UK passports? I feel like I'd be more enthusiastic about this process if I didn't have to deal with the paperwork for my husband, I've read such horror stories of people getting rejected or caught up in bureaucracy...
Good luck to you too! If you want to chat, please ping me any time.