You posted a fairly long six paragraph offering. No way of telling from it that that separate last paragraph referred only to the prior paragraph and not the post as a whole.

Leave the lady alone FFS. Australia is crap, okay for a holiday but too hot and miles from anywhere, deal with it and move on.
The OP is wasting her time, she needs to speak to some Poles or Pakistanis in the UK when you get back. They'll know all the loopholes to blagging benefits rather than the self-righteous gits who love their lives in Oz with the barbie and flies.
G'day mate.

[QUOTE=mary1967;7028206]Well, i wish i'd found this forum before i left the UK, but i was so engrossed in actually getting to Oz that the immigration forum became my second home.

Anyway, that was then, this is now............and basically, within 2 weeks of getting here i'd realised i'd made a massive mistake.

Mary,

Your post is so similar to my situation its spooky!! Anyway, I would like to wish you well & give you some re-assurance that if you do come back things can work out.

I, like you, returned to the UK within weeks of emigrating. My kids were unsure but returned home with me - minus husband (like you we were together 20 years and our kids are similar ages to yours). It was always my desire to initially go to Oz & got a bit sucked in by friends already there telling me how fab it was, husband agreed & we made the move. When I returned on my own with the 2 kids I felt guilty and nearly jumped back on a plane as I didn't want to be without my OH and felt terrible about putting the kids through returning.

My OH stayed on & said that after a couple of weeks he agreed with me & my reasons for returning, knowing our children had a better life in the UK. He did come back, although it meant us living apart from one another for a couple of months until we bought another house. But, one year on and we both have jobs we love, & our kids are doing well. Eldest in 6th form and has a part time job - having lots of nights out with his new workmates. Youngest is involved in so many after school clubs & outside interests it takes up most of our time keeping up with her diary!

What I want to say to you is that until someone has walked a mile in your shoes they cannot judge you or any decisions you make. I could have stayed 6 months, 2 years or 10 years, but as I said to my husband I would have just been counting the days off a calender until I could return.

It worked out for me and my family and we are so happy and relieved to be back and I sincerely hope it works for you too. If I can help at all please feel free to PM me.

Take care xx

Good luck Mary hope you are happy on your return and things work out.

However never really understand why people in a situation like yours seek our opinions and then feel the need to justify what they are doing. If people need to post why not read and say nothing if its opinions you are after or is it for the forum's blessing that what you are doing is right.

Just an observation

Right or wrong, (and only you know) good luck for the future. It takes guts to walk away ... much easier to stay. Take care.

Just found this thread.

As Fleaflyfloflum said, the HRT thing either won't apply or it will but shouldn't be a problem.

There have been changes since I last had anything to do with them but the rules, even applied at their toughest, wouldn't be a problem for you.

As to the money from the house sale...the "Capital" rule is that between £6000 and £16000 will affect what you get. That's gone up since I worked there.

For every £250 above £6000, they assume a weekly income of £1. Above £16000 cuts you off, below £6000 makes no difference.

Selling your old house and not having any money from it should NOT automatically cut you off either. It may be something that is looked at. It's only a problem if you "should" have more than £16000 and they decide you have deprived yourself of it deliberately, in order to claim benefits. Or if you "should" have between £6000 and £16000 and they think the same - in which case they could assume that income I mentioned.

The onus would be on them to "prove" you had spent it deliberately so as to get benefits or a higher rate of benefits.

Fleaflyfloflum's advice was good.

I agree!

Hey Mr Lionheart, say that in the OZ forum and you'll have your dick sliced off

he is my new BE hero

Well that was interesting

But i have to tell you, i am TERRIFIED of the OP! bit aggresive huh

i dont think it was a crazy thing to say that 40 days is nothing- i have recently moved back to my country (i repeat-my own country!), its been 4 months and i am nowhere near being settled... am i giving up? no way!

anyway i'd better shut up now before i get told to f off and all sorts by the op- no need to tell me, i know thats what you are thinking!

class

Should seek advice on this, as it has legal ramifications. Also immigration all over are getting sticky about an adult traveling alone with minors (under 18 or 19 depending on where you are) as are some airlines being cautious. I had my family with me on a flight into Vancouver recently. First off the check in staff at our point of origin would not let them check in without a letter from me - My wife told them who to call at the airline, after having a job to convince them she was serious and that I was the pilot of that flight, that sorted that one out, until she gets to immigration at YVR and has the same issue, it took me longer to get to immigration than them and I usually go through the crew gate. When she told them her husband had flown them here, they thought she was having a laugh and nearly hauled her off. Only when she said I was the Captain on the flight and showed them my card did they let her go (after a few calls to check).

This is the first time I had come across so much scrutiny on one journey and it had to be my lot causung all the grief. The kids thought it was a hoot that mom nearly got arrested and promplty told pretty much anyone who would listen, it went around the school like wildfire.

YVR is getting particularly difficult over this issue. I get asked for "the letter" without fail every time I leave or enter from that airport. I provide my court order (which in effect says I do not need anyone's permission to travel with my children) every time too, but it never seems to get noted anywhere.

When I last drove over to Bellingham, my (adult) daughter was asked if I was really the mother of the four children in the van. The US border guy refused to believe I was also my adult daughter's mother, due to her age, but luckily she had her birth certificate with her, as she had just come in from the UK. I do understand why the checks are needed, but really, anyone can knock up a fake letter, it hardly works does it?

Wow, what a trainwreck. 40 days, huh? That's some staying power.

And shame on all of you who dared to call it like it is. "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!"

You moved back to the UK and took your/his kids with you - what exactly did you expect your husband to do woman ??

This thread's been great. More aggro than Sarah Platt's hen night