My wife and I have lived in the US now since July 2009, I'm a UKC she is a USC. We figured out the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

We live in Pensacola Florida which is a particularly non prosperous town about to be destroyed (if you accept the local media's opinion) due to the oil spill.

We are expecting a little girl in October which is great news. Her brother also just had a baby and they live in the UK, and my cousin whom I'm close to and my best friend and his wife (we were together from primary school right through uni) is also expecting a baby in February of 2011!

But we are both very unhappy here, even though she is surrounded by her family she really misses my family, her friends and the British way of life!

My wife did most of her teenage to adult growing up in the UK, so that is what she is used to (her family moved to Wales when she was 17 and we left for the US at 22)

We work together in the Telesales industry and they are dead end jobs, and there just are no jobs for the field in which I trained for. She is a hair dresser by trade and Florida want her to totally re train despite being a qualified UK hair dresser for 4 years.

It just seems we were happier and life was easier back in the UK!

Does anyone have any advice or just somethings to cheer us up as we cant leave until our lease is up in August and she will be 7months preg by then so we will not be able to fly.

So basically we are looking to move back in the early part of 2011. I have a 2 year Green card that finishes in July 2011 and I am to re apply for a green card 90 days prior to july, if I get the greencard are there any restrictions like I must be in the US for at least 6 months of the year?

Congratulations!


If you're returning to the UK, what does it matter if you break your lease and just leave?


Probably better (read = less expensive) if she were to have the baby in the UK. Then again, if the baby is born in the US, s/he will have dual citizenship.


If you get a 10-year GC, the US must remain your permanent home. That's the whole point. If you're going to move to the UK, best to save the I-751 filing fee (and the headache of the forms) and just formally abandon your status. If circumstances change down the road, you can always reapply for a spouse visa.

Ian

Hi Wilto, it's not easy if you are unhappy, you haven't been here a year yet though and I always advise people to give a new place at least that long before you even start to feel like you 'live' there. This advice was given to me a long time ago and I have tried to live by this rule ever since, and each time we move States/Countries.

There is the MBTTUK forum, which could help with your choices, it could also give you a perspective on those that are/have gone back to the UK. It's probably going to be a lot easier for you guys as you haven't been gone very long.

I hope you guys can feel a bit more settled by the time your baby gets here (congrats by the way ) But if you are truly miserable, why wait till the lease is up, maybe you can talk to the landlord and see if you can help find a tenant to take over your lease? Having a baby is a stressful enough time, without adding the stress of being unhappy and having no support.
Good luck guys!

Thanks Ian, I suppose your right what does it matter if we leave and break the lease, I suppose I'm just a bit paranoid as they did pull both of our credit reports before renting to us, and they will probably hit our credit report with leaving before lease is up. I don't know I'm scared of the debt collectors!

Well the US gov medicaid are paying for the pregnancy so they pick up the tab

And yeah your right the filing fee is pretty expensive for the i751, and yeah I would like the baby to have dual citizenship, but would she be entitled to it wherever she is born through my wife's citizenship?

Thanks English Tart, I mean we have support, parents and 2 sisters (and 4 nephews and nieces! ) live here nad we love them to death but none of my family are here (obviously) and she loved my family and friends, and her brother (who she is very close to) lives in Sheffield.

Yeah, my wife had this very nostalgic view of the US as she left just before finishing high school and she thought she would just re connect with old friends and it would just be like old times for her. But I think she has realised that she is a different person now.

And I was like yeah live in the US of A sounds good to me lets just do it, we didnt' really think about it too much we just did it. I#m glad we did as we've made some good friends and experienced a different culture - God Guns and Fried Chicken culture!!!!

But I just think as people we are more suited to good ol' blighty.

As for breaking your lease and your credit report. You fears are not groundless. My daughter broke hers in Florida and they came after her the unused months of the lease plus damages to the apartment even though there were none. Yes, it was reported to the credit unions.

Citizenship for the baby will depend on whether or not your wife has the right to transfer her citizenship to her offspring.

Well the rent for July is only $350 (we referred someone and got money off our rent), then August is $750. So its not a big deal to just pay it and be done with it.

The cost of flying beteween now and September is pretty high so we will probably wait until after the baby.....it's just easier I think for us as my parents are coming in July for a vacation so yeah.

Congratulations on the baby!

Will your wife need a Settlement Visa to enter the UK, or exactly what would her status be?

Also - just out of curiosity as I am American - how has your wife qualified to have Medicaid pay for the baby?

She's the US citizen so she gets benefits.

Our insurance doesn't cover pregnancy and our household income is below the Florida Medicaid threshhold, something called Momcare/IPOP. We get Wic aswell which is actually pretty good.

So yeah we eitehr paid at least $15,000 out of pocket or get medicaid (of course if we had to pay the $15K we would have moved back to the UK straight away!!!)

EDIT

Looking into it, my wife would need a settlement Visa which costs £644 ouch and the baby would need one to if we move after she is borng, another £644. This is way more expensive than me coming to the US, although there does seem to be less paperwork.

The baby will be a dual national and so won't need a settlement visa (so long as you are born and bred UK citizen) So just the wife to get a visa for. After the birth get the birth certificate and then fill out the forms to register little baby Wilto as a UKC and get him/her their very own UK passport.
Sounds like a good plan to wait for the parents to visit and low season flights back to UK.
If you wait for your 10 year green card, you'll have to keep US as your home, if you leave for too long it's the same as relinquishing your Green card, I went for 11 months (pre 9/11) and had some grief from immigration on return, they are even more strict now.

If you want to keep the right to live in the USA, you should put your moving plans on hold until you can become an American citizen.

Are you sure? I think 7 months falls within the safe range, you could check with your doctor.

Couldn't agree more! That's why we have hung around as long as we have....

The baby will be dual, no matter where you are. Just make sure you register birth for both countries and send for both passports.

Thanks. I was just curious. (BTW US citizens don't "get" benefits - they may qualify for benefits, however. )

I am American and to be honest, I have a real issue with people who draw Medicaid when they actually have the means to pay for their healthcare (i.e., they have good jobs, spend money on holidays, etc.) NOTE: I'm not suggesting that this is the case with you and your wife.

Just because a person's insurance doesn't cover all the bill doesn't make it right to "get" Medicaid. I am a 4-year breast cancer survivor and, unfortunately, have paid close to $30,000 out-of-pocket over the past 5 years for doctor bills that were not covered by my insurance.

Since it's my tax dollars that pay for Medicaid, I'd like to know that it is used for people who truly are in need.

End of rant! Thanks for listening.