Leinster

My wife (Australian), daughter (dual citizen), dog, and I are planning to return to the UK early next year after 15 years in Australia.

I am feeling so overwhelmed at everything that is involved and have no idea where to start. So far, all I've been able to do is sell a few smaller items which would probably make no difference to shipping costs.

Is there a good resource (either here or on another site) that details what I need to consider with regard to:

• visa for wife
• relocation of:
  • possessions (shipping?, import rules (tax implications etc))
  • dog
  • vehicle (maybe if worth it)
• money transfer
• ???

I'm sure there are other considerations that I am currently unaware of.

Appreciate any and all pointers!

Pollyana

Loads of knowledgeable people in the subforum on UK visas, they'll help out with all that stuff.- thats probably the first to get sorted, to make sure you met the financial requirements.
The other thing that can take time is the dog, but I think there's some in this bit of the forum who can help out on that one.

Money transfer? Have a look at OFX, been using them for years and will be using them to move everything back when I go.

Good luck

hebs

We're just starting the process too and I know how you feel.

All I can recommend to start with is just to google and read posts on here then google again.

Biggest thing, as Pollyana said, is the visa, make sure you are eligible then go from there.

verystormy

Leinster

Thanks Pollyana, hebs, and verystormy. Your replies are both helpful and reassuring

MattSmith77

I'm going through the same process as you Leinster and it is quite daunting, we've been working on it for a few months.

As others have stated it's best to start with the big one - the Visa. My partner is Australian and we are going down the spousal visa route, using savings to meet the financial requirements. We opted for this as it seems to be the only way our family doesn't have to spend an extended period apart while i go to the UK and find a job earning over 18,500 gbp (i think the value is). If you are going for the savings route bear in mind that the money needs to be in an account and can not be touched (money can be added to take you above the required financial threshold) for 6 months before a visa application can be made. This seriously delayed our return and means we are going to have to do an priority visa to ensure we get to the UK in time for school term starting.

With regards to shipping i have requested quotes from Chess Moving, Crown Re locations, OSS World Wide Movers and Grace. The first quote we received was for half a container at 5,700 gbp (with packing and unpacking service). You have to apply for a Transfer of Residence Application (ToR01) and provide supporting information such as inventory, receipts if any of your stuff is new (so UK can get you to pay tax), passports etc.

We wont need to arrange pet transport from Aus to UK, but i have arranged the reverse when i first came to Australia and it it quite time consuming, involving pet passports, inoculations, tests etc.

Good luck

HugoB

we are taking 2 dogs and 2 cats back to the UK with Jetpets who have been great so far - all the forms to complete are loaded on to a portal and I've just been completing them bit by bit. They need to have all their annual vaccinations up to date and be microchipped. The only extra vaccination we found, is a rabies jab. They sent the vet to our house to do all our four which was great! This needs to be done a minimum of 3 weeks before they fly. There is no quarantine for them going from Aus to UK.
They also need to be included in your transfer of residence form (ToR), we just got ours back, took just under 5 weeks.

pendledreams5

Hi Leinster, if you belong to Facebook, there is an amazing forum for people applying for the Spouse Settlement Visa, if that is what you wife needs. Search for Spouse Visa Journey UK, it has been an incredible resource for me, I highly recommend it.
Best of luck!

Leinster

When you say that it cannot be touched, does that mean that the balance can't fall below the target amount, or that no deductions can be made from the account at all? I have an account that should more than cover the savings part, but if any deductions make it void, then I might need to think about pulling some of that out to another account.

Great! I think that this is the first time I've actually seen a quote for a shipping volume, so this gives me a good starting point when selecting a shipper.

Thanks! I've only been looking at dogtainers so far but good to have options.

Just to be clear... your ToR took just under 5 weeks? Pets can be picked immediately upon arrival if there is no quarantine, right?

Not a facebook user myself, but my wife is, so I'll ask her to take a look.

Thanks heaps to you all

Pollyana

As mentioned above, BE also has a forum specifically aimed at providing info on gaining Spouse/family visas for the UK.
https://britishexpats.com/forum/citi...-visas-uk-196/

Leinster

Hey MattSmith77 I have just received a reply from an online quote from Allied Pickfords (https://www.alliedpickfords.com.au). Without them having seen my property, they are estimating a move price of $8,500 to $10,000 (GST exempt). The quote is based on an estimated move volume of 30 cubic meters (approximately the volume of a 20ft container). The only info I provided for that quote was that I will be moving a 2-3 bedroom house from Sydney to the Midlands. I'd be interested to hear the quotes from the other companies that you have received quotes from, but this does seem like it might be a cheaper option than the 5,700 GBP quote that you received if that was based on a similar volume.

UkWinds5353

May I ask do you think you'll miss the lifestyle and weather is Australia to a large degree and are you prepared for the needed adjustments to life back in the UK? I ask that because I'm moving to the UK next year from a similar place.
Thanks

Leinster

To be perfectly honest, I don't think I ever really adapted to Australian weather and lifestyle in the first place. I lived in Manly for my first few years (and loved it), but I am not a beach person and rarely went. The summers here are way too hot for me. Let's be honest... I'm out of shape and overweight, so the heat just makes me uncomfortable. Nothing cheers me up more here than a cool evening breeze while I'm out walking the dog. Back in the UK I'd sleep with the window open while it was snowing outside.

As for lifestyle, I loved it in Manly and had a great circle of friends. Sadly, it wasn't a suburb I could afford to buy in, so I made a bad decision 10 years ago and moved further away from the city to live in a pretty quiet neighbourhood where there is nothing to do. And I lost touch with my friends.

Yep, I'm ready to go back. My wife, however, really feels the cold. That's going to be interesting. She's Australian now, but not by birth. Thankfully, that means that she doesn't have any local ties either. That makes things a bit easier since her ties are in another country entirely!

Possibly (almost definitely) naivete, but the only real change I imagine having to get used to is wearing a tie at work again!

Kooky.

Can't help with anything else - though am in the middle of a move to my fourth continent - but wanted to give another vote for Dogtainers. They've just moved our cats from Sydney to Seattle and it all went very smoothly. They also came up with an excellent route (direct flight to Vancouver, then a 3 hour road trip with my husband) that others did not suggest. We were in talks with them a couple of months ahead but only booked a couple of weeks in advance.

verystormy