Start at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk

As far as I understand, you do not need to make the move physically on your own first, if you would prefer not to.

Your son should have a British consular birth certificate and British passport.

If you need to ask U.K. immigration questions then http://www.immigrationboards.com is a good place to start.

Are you for real?

I have heard that Bush is on his way out, so it would be a lot easier to return to the US. Your 2 MA's etc...are recognised, you would prob qualify for benefits. Etc.

The option may not be there if he did not become an American citizen (I don't think he said whether or not he did).

I turned in my USA citizenship when I left. A personal choice of which I have no regrets.

The issue of going to the UK first is one of economic and emotional reasoning. Wife and son can stay in a cheap house until I get on my feet. If I had them with me, I would be worried more.

I know full well that I can get a job, but a good job is another matter. I will need a good job before I can bring them over. And son will have UK citizenship.

What exactly do you mean by that? Did you go to a U.S. Embassy and formally renounce U.S. citizenship in front of a State Department official?

I'm a little late here having just joined the forum. However, having just vacationed in the UK I found the place to be very expensive. Gasoline was at $9.42 an American gallon, a glass of wine and a Budweiser cost me $23, and two pints at Wembley cost $24, that's right six pounds a pint ! So going back there to live, you better have plenty of cash, or have a good paying job to look forward to.

It is an expensive place. You are right that it would be difficult to live in the UK, in particular London, if one does not have a well-paying professional job. However, the price thing (apart from gas) is a bit of a tricky debate. When I was earning GBP and visiting Canada (or the US), I found everything to be so cheap. But when earning CAD$ it turns out that I would be earning less money here and would on the whole have equal or less "buying power" than in London (apart from being unable to afford to buy property in London).

I guess what I am trying to say is that it is hard to judge affordability of a place as a tourist who is earning money in a different currency. Affordability of a place can only really be judged by looking at the salary one would earn in the place and looking at the prices from that perspective.

As an afterthought, the original OP said he was going to the UK with a mere GBP1000. Now, I would not dare to move back to London with that little money. Unless he has family that can put him up and feed him until he has a job, it will be impossible to survive on that for more than 2-3 weeks! And even that is being optimistic...

Posts like this always make me chuckle.

I was on the river at Richmond a few weeks ago paying 2.95 a pint. I pay even less in my local, far NW London. I dont know where you were paying 12 quid for a beer and wine, certainly wasn't a pub. I and quite a few friends, without really much inconvenience whatsoever live without cars, petrol costs me nothing!

A night out can cost an awful lot of money yes, but everyday living costs are nothing like visitors get the impression of.

And just because the US dollar has been trashed, doesn't make a UK salary worth any less than it was 5 years ago when that same pint would have cost you 8 dollars, or mine a mere 4

I always love reading your posts. They are so sensible. I do think that tourists get the wrong impression about prices as they don't know where to go. Good point on the car, too.

Hehe...........

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=552016

Same point as you really, cept I'm actually here. Its a point close to home though, I've been told a number of times it's impossible to have 'any' quality of life or standard of living for less than 50k a year in London. It's absolute tosh, particularly for anyone who was on the property ladder before 2000.

Whilst I do have a bunch of friends/family on 50K+ most of my friends earn more the average London salary of 35-40ish and okay they dont live in luxury, they manage to pay mortgages, have overseas holidays and afford perfectly good general standards of living. Obviously no one lives in mansions, but then most of my friends, like me, prefer location to square footage. That would stand true of any country I was in aswell.

I just read all that and can only conclude, London's like Marmite

I always enjoy reading posts like this too. Specially when
Tootsie says "I dont know where you were paying 12 quid for a beer and wine, certainly wasn't a pub." I could have bloody swore it was a pub, The Swan in the charming English Lake District. And yes, six quid a pint just outside Wembley...SIX QUID.
And BTW, gasoline doesn't cost me anything either unless I happen to buy some. Apparently you can't even afford a car to drive around in ? Well no wonder when you have to actually pay a visitor fee to get into the heart of London...what's that all about.
Anyway, enjoy your next bus ride.

It's an encouraging post. The only thing is that we never were on that property ladder, so I do not think we'll be able to buy on the average London salary (maybe in a while, if the prices keep dropping, though). It really pains me. But I guess it is better to rent a nicer place (even if small) in a good area than to buy a cheaper place in a dodgy area.

I'll stop hijacking this thread now.

You weren't in a pub in London then were you .. good at being ripped off it would seem aswell.

And I choose not to have one, BIG difference! I live under ten mins walk from two underground lines and 20 from another, WTF do I need a car for?

I would rather spend money on other things, its all about priorities.