creese

My family and I have lived in OZ for 10 years and have never really settled here and after a recent visit back to the UK, we have decided that we want to move back. We have no property here to sell and have no property in the UK, we have very little savings and will need to rent in the UK. We will be starting all over again and its freaking us out, where do we start? We will also need to apply for bank accounts in the UK as we closed them before moving here, can you apply for an account from this end?

Both kids have said they are prepared to move back and are looking forward to spending time with family again, but the eldest son has a girlfriend that he wants to move back with us. She is a lovely girl but its just not practical I feel that after a short time she will miss her family and want to move back, but I don't want to loose my son!

The company I previously worked for, for 12 years are hiring and there are prospects in my husbands field.

Is it best to do a self pack container? We also have two dogs and not sure which pet carrier to use for them too?

LOl apologies for all the questions, just not sure where to start!

mikelincs

Assuming you are all British Citizens, then you should ensure that you all have British Passports.

BritInParis

I would also obtain your Australian citizenship before you leave if you haven't done so already to leave that door open for you should you change your minds at a later date. It would also give any future grandchildren the gift of Australian citizenship without having to worry about immigration.

TaffT

There's no chance of opening bank accounts while you are not in the UK, sorry.

Novocastrian

There's every chance if you bother to research the question.

You can open an HSBC UK account from abroad if you're an HSBC account holder in your present country or you can open an offshore sterling account in the Isle of Mann or Jersey with Barclays or Lloyds and probably others.

mikelincs

spouse of scouse

The question of your son's girlfriend moving back with you is probably the easiest one to resolve, unless she's a British citizen she'd have to have her own visa. Are they living together in a defacto relationship? How old is your son?

BritInParis

Contact the last UK bank you had an account with and the chances are they will be able to reopen it using your last UK address. You can then switch it to your new address.

verystormy

The first thing will be the job. If he can get a job lined up it makes getting a rental a lot easier - you won't be entitled to benefits for 3 months minimum after moving back.

Shipping, get quotes. We moved back in March from WA and sold most of our stuff and used a Movecube for personal things, though a big one will fit furniture. We have since bought furniture off gumtree and things which might be something to consider if you haven't got much cash - shipping isn't cheap and you will have a lot of expenses.

The girlfriend would need either a British passport or a visa. If she is over 18 she could get a young persons temporary visa - the British equivalent of a Working Holiday Visa.

We shipped our dog back and used Dogtainers who were excellent. This needs planning in good time as there has to be a 22 day period between rabies jabs and flights and there are other things such as coordination of their flight and yours. Luckily, there is no quarantine now, but it still isn't cheap. It goes by the size of the dog. Ours is a tiny chihuahua and cost $3000.

The rest is pretty simple. We managed it all in 4 days (though luckily the dog was already inoculated for rabies and had the government paperwork).

benhila

From our own experience (having been back in the UK for 6 weeks after 8 years away) it is impossible to open even a savings account unless you have proof of a permanent UK address. Opening an off-shore account is unhelpful for everyday transactions and (at least in the case of Nationwide International) there is no link between the off-shore bank and the UK branches (so opening an off-shore account is unlikely to aid the opening of an on-shore account). You can't apply for a debit/credit card unless you are employed. The 2nd question on all the application forms (the 1st being your UK address) is about employment and the automatic response (if you fill "unemployed") is a resounding NO. Similarly, it is impossible to rent unless you are currently employed, have an offer in writing, or alternatively, can pay upfront and have a UK-residing guarantor willing to cover your rent in case you default. It is all a bit of an uphill struggle, made much easier if you have relatives you can rely on in the UK.

brits1

Hi, You have some excellent advice already so maybe get the important things in order it might help with the "chaos" you sometimes feel when moving. Passports are essential, make sure your British Passports have enough time on them to travel with, if not renew. Have your pets vaccinated, I am not sure which State your in as it might help with knowing for advice on Vets, Kennels etc. We opened a UK HSBC account from Australia and had our cards sent to our address in Aus before we left Australia. If you decide to take your items then stream down on anything you might not think you will use/need it the UK it will make things cheaper ie a smaller container will cost less and it could bring in some income if choose to sell items, we did this and used Gumtree which was excellent at that time. You can pack your own items but you might have to check your insurance for the container as sometimes you might not be covered if you pack yourselves but if you do pack it will cut down on the coast. Look for jobs when/if you do decide to return what harm can that do? There seems to be more rentals than when we first arrived due to a lot of buy to let investors so depending on your area of choice I would start looking at agents and enrolling on their rental lists (again when you have a date etc) Your Sons girlfriend would have to be able to gain entry to the UK so have her check out how she can do this, if she does/able come then maybe get settled first with your family then have her come over. Good luck with everything x