Hi everyone,

I'm new to these forums, just stumbled upon them doing some research about moving back to the UK and I'd like to ask your advice about a few things.

My wife is a Japanese citizen, no kids yet, and we are probably going to move back to the UK from Japan in a few years time and by then we may have children.

Moving back to the UK will be a huge step for my wife and even though it's some way in the future, I'm concerned about how she'll cope living there because of all the cultural and environmental differences between the UK and Japan.
I'd like to make the transition as smooth as possible so have been researching the important things such as pensionand National Health Insurance, but I'd like to hear about the experiences of other people in a similar situation.

Are there other members of this forum who have moved back from Japan with a Japanese partner? Is thereanything you wished that you knew before you moved back?
Is there any particular advice you could give, perhaps about pensions, National Health Contributions - the important stuff!

Thinking about moving back is both daunting and somewhat exiting, but to be honest, deciding what are the necessary steps to take and what research to do is pretty difficult. So any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

John

Hi John,

I left Japan just over five years ago with my Japanese wife and three children. We spent the next four years in Australia and have been back in England since May last year.

I can't really think of any specific things, as they will probably be unique for everyone. That you have no recourse to public funds on a spouse visa could be one thing worth noting (you can get child benefit, but I think that's about it).

I think a successful move depends mainly on choosing a nice area with good schools and having work/enough money.

Depending on where you are, there seems to be a network of Japanese people if you think that might help. My wife tends to like doing her own thing most of the time and has always seemed happy not living in Japan. I know other Japanese people here who miss everything Japanese, but I think that's because they grew up in Tokyo. Getting hold of Japanese food is a big issue (tends to be quite expensive).

Where in the UK would you be heading?

Hi Exile,

Thanks for the response.

I agree that a nice place with enough work and money are important. We're not really sure where in the UK we'd end up. My family are from Bristol so it would be nice to go back there, but it just depends where I can find work. I work for an ISP in Tokyo and feel confident about finding similar work in the UK, my wife's a translator and plans to go freelance and work from home, but at the moment, not too sure where home will be. As I gather, London and the south-east are where most of the ISPs are centered in the UK, so we may end up there, but if I can find work as an in-house network engineer, then we could end up anywhere!

About child benefit, wouldn't the children of British citizens qualify regardless of the mothers nationality?

I couldn't quite believe how much as spouse visa for the UK costs. For Japan, it's about 30 pounds!

If you don't mind I'd like to ask a few questions, why did you decide to leave Japan? Did your whole family move back at the same time or did you come back alone to search for work? Did you find it difficult getting your children into school?

Thanks again for the reply.

Regards,

John

Normally yes, if the children are British and one parent is British.

Also, presumably becoming a Japanese citizen is not an option but have you looked into what options may exist to keep your resident status in Japan active if you want to come back later.

Hiya John,
I live with my japanese hubby and 3 kids in Tokyo at the mo. We're trying to get the money together to move back to the UK.Probably up north somewhere t be near family. I'm in the midst of research too,trying to make the future transition to UK life as smooth as possible.

Cheers!

Sammy and Clan

Thanks for the comments.

Japanese law allows for children to hold dual citizenship until they are 20, when they must decide which nationality they want to keep and which to renounce. As long as the births have been registered at the British Embassy, there should be no problem qualifying for child support as they would be registered at the General Register Office in the UK.

My current resident status is Spouse of a Japanese National, which asides from a certain amount of paperwork, shouldn't be problematic in reapplying if we decide to return to Japan at some point in the future. Becoming a Japanese citizen is not an option as I'd have to renounce my British citizenship, something which I see no advantage in doing, and even if I were granted permanent residency, that would be null and void if I were to move back to the UK.

Regards,

John

Hi Sammy,

There's certainly a lot to consider when moving back, as I'm sure you've discovered!
If I were single, I could just move back without much hassle and not have to worry about a whole host of things. But, being married and possibly being a father in a couple of years, I don't have that luxury!!

Is there anything that's got you particularly stumped about moving back or particularly worried about?

Where in the north would you be moving to?
I was at Sheffield Uni a few years back, nice part of the country.

Anyway, hope your research and eventual move back go well!

Regards,

John

Hi John,

Yeah, I hear you about the cost of the visa!

We left Japan as I became a bit fed up with working, commuting, and living in Tokyo and because we wanted the children to experience an English speaking (and thinking) environment. Sounds terrible, but I didn't really want them to be socialized in the Japanese way, although I did want them to absorb all the good things about being Japanese of course. I also suffer from the itchy feet syndrome (not athlete's foot, but that desire to be wherever it is that I am not).

We all went to Australia together, as I was lucky enough to be able to take my job with me (and then back here four years later). I think that helped a lot.

It's easy to get children into a school, but sometimes not easy to get them into the schools you want them to go to. Plan ahead for that one if you can (sounds like that's what you're doing).

Good luck with your planning. Fire away if you have more questions.

I was at Sheffield in the 90s. Maybe we know each other?