I'm looking to move to the UK for 12 months with my wife in July next year (trying to get 12 months off work here still) and have been doing a bit of research but not sure of the things I don't know to ask about or look for. I will have my UK passport, so organising that isn't a problem. However I see comments on this and other sites about registering with a GP when we arrive and people talking about some sort of rental up fornt charge (bond)! Also we love travelling and are looking forward to weekends away to as many different places as we can for as little as possible. Would love to hear from anyone on tips or things that I probably wont come across until I get there but things that you'd have loved to know about before you arrived (back). Lot's of thanks in advance.

Re: rental - you will need a UK bank account and just like Australia you will need to pay a month's bond up front (it's sometimes know as a deposit in the UK). You might get lucky now as my BIL is an estate agent as is my old next door neighbour and both of them have said to me that the rental market is slowing down. Also unlike Oz you have to pay your council tax (rates) and water rates and usage as well as your rent - it isn't included in general unless you can strike a deal.

Don't know how to register with Dr if you've been out of the UK for ages.

Cheap travel - for Europe check out RyanAir or Easyjet for cheap deals but READ THE SMALL PRINT. I think there are some other cheapo airlines now as well. British Airways often holds flight sales which are actually genuine and you can get real bargains with them. We went to Jersey last year in June for 29 pounds return each with them. If you go out of season most airlines have cheaper seats too - Latvia in January - no thanks but if you want to do the sightseeing thing and don't mind grim then it's cheap to do it that way.

you will more than likely find that you will have to pay i months deposit and i months rent up front, so for example if your rent was £700 per month then you would be looking at £1400.

If you rent through a letting agent they may want to do credit checks. When we returned to the UK after 4 years away we had no credit rating and were required to pay 6 months rent up front in order to secure a rental. I am not saying this will happen to you but be aware of it.

is ther no other way around the whole 6mth rent thing?
I mean who wants to do that i don't mind a contract but i'm not really willing to pay 6mth rent in advance!!!

we had only been out of the uk for 16mths ,and we had to pay 6mths rent up front, ,even tho we we had plenty of funds.this is because my OH obviously hadnt been working here for the last 6mths.plus £860 bond.
if you dont want to pay a lot for weekends away,then i'd consider youth hostels or getting a tent ! best way to see the country !

I found that if you had a job (proof of income) then you didn't always need the six months up front. Others asked for a guarantor in place of this. It very much depends on the agency.

We were lucky and found a private landlord who only wanted the one months bond and one month rent in advance - no credit checks or anything.

With regards to registering with doctors and dentist, I think you probably contact your local health authority (details will be on the Internet). They would provide advice and help with this.


Good luck

Just register with the local GP as a temporary resident, number in phone book, and you can go on the Australian Government website as there is info on this there. You will probably have to go private for dentist - not many NHS dentists anymore!

Is your wife British, Australian or both (or something else)? Depending on the answer she may need a visa. You may need an Australian returning resident visa if you're not an Australian citizen?

I have dual nationality and my wife is australian and will need a visa. looks like a she needs a spousal visa/working permit(over 35 yo). Do you have any advice regarding these visas? thanks

This isn't something that you will necessarily have to pay. It helps if you have a UK bank account and can provide a standing order to pay your rent. I've only had to pay the first month and then a deposit.

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

She will need a spouse visa. With this visa she will have full working rights.
You might want to think about staying the full 3 years necessary for her to get British citizenship.

Visa must be obtained before she leaves Australia.

Thanks TaraC i thought it ment i had to pay six moth in advance which is outrageous!!
will get into contact with estate agents closer to my move to what i can work out.

My estate agents told me that the six-month deposit can be a discretionary thing, along with the references. They said they were typically given quite a bit of leeway by the landlords to go with their gut, so if they're worried about you they'll charge more. Whether this is true in London or if it's just out here in the more rural areas where people may be more trusting, i don't know.

I will be needing a spousal visa for my wife when I return to the UK early next year. If you go to UK-Yankee.com and look at the visa forum you will get all the info you need. There is tons of stuff on spousal visas and even a few immigration staff married to non UK citizens. They post a lot of good info.

You should know though that you will need a flat and a job, among other things. before your wife can even apply. PM me if you have questions as we have been researching this ourselves for sometime and think we pretty much have it down. Good luck.