fatbrit

My version involved a telegraph pole.

Sally Redux

I believe there are a number of variants.

Ozzidoc

OP - please remember that sometimes ones (new) life doesn't go quite as planned. Your wife may well need to return to the UK permanently.

You mentioned that she has a pension; what kind is unclear.

As I'm sure that you are well aware, healthcare in the US can be prohibitively expensive. It may be that one day in the not-so-distant future, she (or both of you) may have no choice but to live in the UK.

Just some food for thought.

Rete

You also mentioned she is dealing with HSBC. They have offices/banks in the US as well.

Have her keep a checking account open in the UK, make transfers to the account and continue to pay the bloody loan.

She took the money. She spent the money. She should do what's right without attempting to hedge a legal bet that she won't get caught.

md95065

While I suppose that failing to pay back the loan is probably just a civil matter I wonder if there are perhaps some circumstances under which it might be considered fraud ...

Either way, if your wife eventually wants to apply for US citizenship she will probably find it easier to complete Section D of the N400 form (Good Moral Character) with a clear conscience if she pays the money that she undoubtedly owes.

Personally I wouldn't want to be married to someone who didn't take their financial responsibilities seriously.

Kaffy Mintcake

For what it's worth, there were posters about going after those who had skipped the country with unpaid loans in the UK when we were there. Hot air? Perhaps, but I remember seeing them more than once.

fatbrit

There's no requirement under the good moral character requirements of N400 to have paid off your loans.

The lady's already chosen her husband so I doubt she wants to marry you.

md95065

I think that rather depends on the circumstances under which the loan was obtained and the reason why you failed to pay it.

Something for which we can all be thankful

Giantaxe

If she has a checking account at HSBC, they may have the right to take money from it to pay off a delinquent loan. Of course, she could also close the checking account if that was the case, but doing that isn't a great idea given that it's so difficult to open one as a non-resident these days. Bottom line for me is don't burn any bridges because you never know when you might want to re-cross them.

lapin_windstar

Are you saying "may have the right" in the sense of "I don't know that they don't have the right and anything's possible in this world, so that right might exist" or are you saying "I know for a fact they have the right, it's just a question of if they realise and use it"?

NYCbound

No, you are (as am I) a woman with full morals.

I am doing exactly what zargof suggested.

Titchski

Wirelessly posted (SAMSUNG-SGH-I617/1.0 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.6))

Good morals? Might want to think a bit there! They don't call her Sally, "defiler of small mammals", for nothing you know!

NYCbound

Right well then my statement has to be retracted, are you telling me that not only has she no morals but at the heart of it is sizest too? What about the large mammals she isn't defiling, or the amphibians or arachnids, is she animalist too?
I'm quite shocked.

Englishtart

This would be my bottom line too, you have no guarantee that she won't need to return to the UK at some point, either for health reasons (they can bankrupt you here unless you have great insurance or loadsa money) or for some other unforeseen reason.

Why shoot yourself in the foot for the sake of 6 grand? She could come to an agreement with the bank (before she leaves) that she reduce the monthly payments, at least until she has settled here and can pay it off.

You would be surprised how much 'peace of mind' is worth

Dan725

I agree.

Basically not paying it just because you are moving overseas is exactly the same as not paying it if the OP was living in the UK - UK credit will be shot, and so on. The only difference with living in the US is that it will make it harder for them to pursue.

I don't understand why we regularly get this question on here - some people always wanting something for nothing - it's why the worlds economy is in the mess it is today.