Originally Posted by jalan33

pubs......ahhhh....and curry...it must be almost worth it?

Seriously....I've been in USA for 7 years and still have trouble 'letting go of the past', even though its not all that great. Daydream about moving back eventually, but I know reality would be hard.

I lived in Arizona intially for 2 years...quite a culture shock. Have since moved to minnesota which is a better cultural and weather fit for me. Prior to that I was living in the black hole in the southeast of the island called London...many getting sucked under the event horizon forever with enormous mortages and stressful jobs while a few others are spat out into strange places beyond the grey mist of travel zone 6 like Leeds, or the USA in my case.

So going back and trying to continue a career in IT means thames corridor and hideous housing costs (possibly) - unless you move to somewhere like Hull I suppose? But then salarly will be less?
Returning to UK just to enter into a different flavour of the same rat race doesn;t seem wise.

On previous visits back to UK i've noticed I've become more confident and , dare I say it, 'positive' (within reason) and have noticed that rubs off on interactions in the UK.... UK can be quite a social place, just in a very different way than the US in my experience so far.

The 'vibe' of the country is quite different... in some ways a little more 'down to earth' than the US I find.
Is that worth moving for?

Uk visitors to US tend to be quite enamoured with the consumer goods and so forth, but in actual fact the quality of goods in the UK can be higher, and cheaper in some cases - antiques for instance, or basic groceries like bread and , perhaps not surpisingly, fish. I was in buxton derbyshire one time and couldn;t believe the price of some great old furniture in the shops.

My father in law is german and has lived in US for 40 years. I sense he doesn;t like where he is at, but he knows he would not like moving back to germany and probably couldn;t afford it as house prices have stagnated where he lives. I see the ambivalence that I might currently feel can get more pernicious and bitter over the decades --- and the inertia of living in the USA even greater.
Obviously not everyone goes down this path, but I can one has to be careful.

The country you have left changes as well: though some members of my family seem to stay the same! ;-)

My brother sent me a copy of the Idlers "50 crap towns of britain"
its very funny and a great way to clean off the rose tinting and remind youself just how depressing, grubby and dreary some places in the UK are.

As for the chav invasion, not sure if there really is an ever increasing selfcentered lazy underclass over there or not.

Moving back for 6 months to do contract work or something may be a useful experiment.

Whinging: I've had problems with habitualised moaning... in the UK its a normal way to have a conversation or prepare to do something ......."would you like to take a trip to duluth??"......."<whinge>.....bit far......<moan>.....today??..<grumble>.....well i suppose"

Originally Posted by bromleygirl

Thanks Pants,

I know it's been a long time hasn't it! This first year back has had it's ups and downs and so it's been difficult for me to post here. Finding my feet more though. I don't know what will happen in the future but I am still glad that I made the move back the the UK - i just wish Brit men were more assertive in asking women out - I had forgotten just how bad at that they can be!

Originally Posted by Terrier

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has moved back from the US to the UK and regreted it?
I have been here in the US for over 3 years now and have all the great things the US has to offer, good job, nice big house, big new car and tonnes of cash. But I can't help feeling that something is missing and begin to believe it is homesickness.
Talked to my brother about it, he lives in the UK, and said I would be mental to return could'nt understand why I would give it all up for a tiny house, making les than half the money I do over here, expensive cost of living and a country over run by chav's.

So has anyone made the move and regrted it? I am heading back in November for the first time since I can here over 3 years ago, maybe my mind will change if I see the place again without my rose tinted glasses on!!

Originally Posted by Lothianlad

The guys are waiting for the girls to ask them out. That's what happens now, didn't you know?

Originally Posted by Careybear

I'd like to see more people's views on this subject as well. I know according to JAJ we should wait until Paul can go for his citizenship...but doesn't he have to go 3 years from the time he got his conditional greencard? Or is it 3 years from when he arrived into the country to apply for citizenship? We had to wait almost 2 years just to get a conditional greencard I don't think we can wait another 3 years to get his citizenship or more because it takes awhile for them to process the citizenship itself. It's bad enough we have to wait another two years just to get the conditions removed....I hate U.S. immigration. He has 5 kids in the uk aged 15 years old down to 7 years old and that would be way too much time to wait in my eyes. Since my kids' father hasn't been using his parenting time like he's supposed to for the last 2 years and I have full custody it's time for us to move to the UK I believe so at least his kids won't feel like their father has abandoned them (the ex-wife is making him out to be the bad guy since he's moved).

So, the move back for us seems to be the right one but even my husband isn't sure about it because he keeps telling me how much harder it will be to live there because it's more expensive housing wise and they don't pay as well etc...but i'm so used to being broke what would be the difference? lol...ugh..

Carey

Originally Posted by Squirrel

If you are a US/UK couple, leaving the US without citizenship is not the end of the world. In the event of not liking the UK and wanting to move back, then provided the US Embassy in London will accept it (usually if the USC has been living in the UK at least a year) you can DCF in 3 months.

Originally Posted by jeremai

Now you're tempting me! The citizenship application is in though, so I'd better wait it out. What does DCF stand for?

Originally Posted by jeremai

Thanks for the explanation, Squirrel. Very interesting. As you seem so knowledgable, can I ask you about the visa that my USC wife wouldl get to return to the UK with me? Once she gets it, is there are time frame in which we have to enter the UK before it expires?

Also, we will have been married four years next month so she would get indefinite leave to remain. Is this noted on the visa or would we have to get some other paperwork done once in the UK? Is there a UK equivalent to the green card? Or would the visa be the only thing to show on subsequent returns to the UK after holidays?

I can't seem to find anything on the UK visas site about what happens AFTER getting the visa. I like to be prepared by knowing all the details!

Originally Posted by Squirrel

If you are a US/UK couple, leaving the US without citizenship is not the end of the world. In the event of not liking the UK and wanting to move back, then provided the US Embassy in London will accept it (usually if the USC has been living in the UK at least a year) you can DCF in 3 months.