acmcgrae

Hi Everybody,

I want to start off by thanking each of you for sharing your plans/outcomes here! It has really helped my Husband and I to read thru a lot of the posts to get informational links, etc..

Our situation is that my husband holds a British Passport and I am from the US (American Passport). We are looking to move to England as my husband has been here in the States with me for over 7 years and during our recent trip to visit his folks we came to the conclusion that we would both be much happier in the UK!

I am starting the process for our two cats so we know we can not leave for at least 7 months until that is all complete so it will be anytime between 7 months and a year until we can actually go.

I have been looking online on how I would go about getting my settlement Visa and was wondering if I could just get some clarification. From what I have read once I fill out the forms online/print them off/mail them off, etc.. it will take on average 5 days for an answer! Is this right?? When my husband moved here and we applied for his Green card it took two and a half years!! Can they seriously come to a decision in only 5 days?

If that is the case does anybody know how long it is good for? I do not want to apply for it too soon if there is a time frame in which I must enter the UK and I do not want to apply for it too late in case something happens and it does take much longer.

So.. now that I have confused everybody enough I'll leave it at just those questions. I am a bit of a detailed oriented person so I am sure you guys will see me around a lot asking questions and so on.

Thanks!

TruBrit

hiya and welcome. guess you have found the defra website for the kitties....sorry i know more about that than getting your OH over to the UK

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm

dunroving

Welcome to BE - I can't help you with UK visa stuff, but when you have questions about the PETS scheme, I'll try to help (my dog has been back and forth from/to US/UK 3 times!)

Englishmum

Hi and welcome to BE!

There is a website called UK Yankee for American expats living in the UK, many of whom have settled there with a British spouse or partner.

They have lots of information on their forums and you will certainly find visa info for yourself there:

http://www.uk-yankee.com/

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/ (forums by headings)

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?board=17.0
(visa info.....I think they like you to read the 'stickies' at the top of the page before posting any queries yourself).


Hope it helps....and do please post back to let us know how your plans progress. Which part of the UK are you likely to be moving to?

TruBrit

omg poor dog how old is he/she?

Jerseygirl

Hello there and welcome to BE.

Try the search option located in the pink bar at the top of the page...put in something like returning to the UK with pets...there has been loads of threads on this subject recently.

JAJ

Settlement visa is straightforward (more straightforward than getting a U.S green card). Start at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk

After 2 years in the U.K. you have to get permanent residence (Indefinite Leave to Remain) and after 3 years (including the 2 years) you can become a British citizen. Dual British/American citizenship is allowed.

And speaking of citizenship, if your husband wants to keep open the option of a return to the U.S. then he should strongly consider becoming an American citizen before he leaves. (it's the only safe way as a green card is normally lost quite quickly after leaving the U.S.)

lanky spoken here

Hello Tru! Thank you the kind post, yeah, will be in Blighty pretty soon Thanks, LUV xxx

dunroving

She is now getting closer to 11 yrs old and looks like she is about 4 (except the grey beard!). Black Labrador, adopted/rescued in early 1999 in Tennessee, abused, neglected, complete basket case.

She had to go thru 6 mths quarantine in 2000, and got through it with flying colors, same with the three transatlantic flights.

She has turned into absolutely the best sidekick man could ever want. A bit kookie every now and again (flashbacks to her bad start to life, I think), but she is docile, well-behaved, healthy, and runs miles and miles and miles every week as we roam the hillsides.

Altogether, I have spent probably over $8,000 on bringing her to and fro with me and she has been worth every red cent.

TruBrit

that is a great story! i'm so pleased she has found a good home as i know she is...good on you

Jerseygirl

Hello Susie...nice to meet you at last.

dunroving

And needless to say, if I do ping-pong-ping-pong-PING in the next couple of years (still a possibility even though the thought scares the bejasus out of me), she sure as heck is going back with me!

I now live in a fairly small-ish village in Scotland and when we walk thru the village we are very popular - or should I say SHE is. All the little kids call out "Hi Suzy!" and give her a little pat as she walks past (they all know her thru the people who take care of here during the day - plus the fact she has escaped three times already and roamed the village until I came home to find her, the little cooter. )

TruBrit

don't leave it too long as she's getting on to be travelling inside a fuselage hold

dunroving

I know, believe me. I'm hopeful that her amazing level of fitness and lifetime of activity and complete lack of body fat (she is sleek) will mean she ages well. She really looks amazing next to other Labs of the same age.

It's another factor contributing to me really kicking myself for coming back in the first (oops, second!) place. If it ever got to the point I found a job etc. in the US, but she was too old to fly, I'm really just not sure what I would do. Cough up for a ticket on the QE2, maybe?

I know you read that dogs are adaptable and do just great following adoption (or re-adoption) but I think rescue cases are different, plus we have been together most of her life. I think she is just much too attached to me to be happy in someone else's home, and she'd end up escaping one day and going looking for me (last year, she escaped from a residential kennel/farm way up in the Welsh mountains, and made her way 8 miles on a route she'd never been on before, through traffic, etc. to my house in Caerphilly. I can't even think about that happeing if I left her behind and went back to the States. Of course, I'd just miss her way too much, too.

Elvira

Given your history of moves, one has to wonder whether you wouldn't start pining for the UK again if you do ever move back to the US. I'd give it a fair shot and let the old girl live out her days where you are now - from your description she at least seems happy!