cleokarrot78

Hi all!

I'm new here, and desperately seeking some guidance.

I am originally from the UK, and have lived in the US for 16 years.

I am planning on moving back to the UK next Spring with my three children (my (not-legally separated) husband is staying here, with a view to moving to the UK when he has finished university).

So... my questions are:

- I think I can get my children UK passports due to the fact that although they were born here, they are UK citizens by proxy. Is that correct?

- How do I go about getting them National Insurance Numbers?

- Are there any tax implications with me living back home after I have been in the US for so long?

- I currently own a home here, and wouldn't be able to buy one until I have sold this one. Has anyone else handled this situation, and how?!

- I will be keeping my work-from-home job when I move there - are there any tax implications to this on either side?

- How and when do I get my children registered for 'school' (here it is daycare and pre-school, as my kids are 3 and 18months, but will be 4 and 2 when we leave in Spring), and how do I get it in the catchment area I would like if I don't own a home there yet?

- How do I get myself and my children set up with a local doctor's office?

- Do I need to set up a bank account and sort out my UK driver's license before I get there?

- Who and how do I notify authorities on both sides that we will be leaving/arriving?

I'm sure I have more questions, but this is all I've got right now as my brain is exploding...

Thank you so much for any help!

Kate

robin1234

Hi Kate,

Welcome to BE! I'll comment on a few of your concerns, I'm not an expert so will leave technicalities to others!

First, are you a US citizen, or are you a green card holder? That makes a difference with procedures going forward, in terms of ongoing IRS tax obligations, abandoning green card etc.

Yes, you can apply for British passports for your children. They are British citizens. You should also obtain US passports for them; as US citizens they need a US passport to leave & enter the US.

You are not obliged to inform the US gov that you're leaving, or the UK gov that you're entering the country. Travelling alone with your kids though, you'll need formal permission from your husband that they can go abroad with you. I believe you need a notarised letter from him, don't know the specifics.

As for some of the U.K. procedures that you mention (driving licence, registering with a GP, getting a British bank account, obtaining NI numbers for the children) I'd simply leave those till you are settled in the UK. You can't do those things till you have an address. Are you going to rent for a time, stay with relatives, or what? Assuming you already have a British driving licence, you just need to update that with your new address in UK then the dl will work as ID and proof of residence for the other bureaucratic things..

Good luck with your planning!

yellowroom

Have you got your US citizenship yet? It's generally considered to be good to have the same citizenship(s) as your children to avoid future situations where you can't all be in the same country. Who knows what the future will hold.

yellowroom

They are UK citizens by descent, full stop.

NI numbers are sent out when you're nearly 16, so it's not an issue for your children just yet! FYi: https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number

None whatsoever from the UK side - if you have not been resident and/or have not had significant income from the UK, they would not be interested until you arrive home. At that point, they are only interested in your income from the day you started residing in the UK

Rent in the UK until you have sold the US one?

I will let others more qualified than me answer that one.

you don't have to own a home in the catchment area, you just have to live there. but that is not a guarantee that you will get into your school of choice

you walk into the gp surgery, and ask to be registered. It's a simple form - some may ask for proof of address.

Bank account - not essential, presume your US account has online access? Easier to open one here once you have a UK address. Driving license - have you ever held a UK license? If so, you just write to DVLA and tell them your nrew address and they will re-issue your old one. If not, then you will need to take a test, but you can drive on your US one for a while (I think 1 year, but best to check. https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving/driving-licences

Aside from tidying up any green-card and tax issues, then you do not HAVE to notify anyone. Neither country is a police state (yet).

Is your husband a UK citizen?

scot47

"UK citizens by proxy"


That is not an expression used in the Law relating to British Nationality. I think they are "citizens by descent"


Good luck with your struggles.


I think the new procedure for Nat Ins Number is that they must have an interview face-to-face in a UK Jobcentre. That is what my daughter had to when coming to take up residence aged 18. Children growing up in the UK get a NINO when at school - if parent is claiming Child Benefit.

scot47

https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number

HKG3

Kate,

You can try and set up an UK bank account in the US. HSBC offers this service. Please see link below for details -

https://www.us.hsbc.com/1/2/home/per...banking-center

BritInParis

For new arrivals over 16 that's the case. For children under 16 and in the school system then their NINOs should be allocated automatically three months before they turn 16. If the parent makes a claim for child benefit then it will be allocated then.

RollingStones

I would suggest that renting your home makes the school situation much easier. Very often buying a house in a good school area has become too expensive, it's easier with the flexibility of renting.
Find a school you like, talk to the school - as you'll need an idea of what the intake is like i.e competition for places. Rent in catchment, apply through the council (online).
Schools have always been a priority for us when we've decided where to live, along with commute to work, affordability, sense of community. In the end we've always preferred to rent.
Good luck.