The "thinking about it" club for Unrepatriating. :) UK->US->UK?

I'm so glad you made this thread, Marlespo. I've actually been looking for a thread like this for ages.

For us, moving back to the UK just makes too much sense in almost every way. Our recent visit totally confirmed this, for me especially. (My DH has been hinting at it for ages now.) I think I've been denying it to myself, thinking we have to stick it out in the US and make it work at whatever cost, if only for my mom's sake. But it hit me like a ton of bricks while I was over that really, nothing is holding us in the US anymore. All the reasons we moved here in the first place, almost 4 years ago, have fallen apart since we've been here. Plus, the economy collapse has been dire for my DH's job situation. (At least in the UK he has good connections on that front.)

We will be moving back to a loving, stable, tight knit family (my own family doesn't even get along anymore), good friends, cousins for our future kids to grow up with (nobody in my family is anywhere near having kids), better work/life balance (my job only gives me 10 days off a year), the NHS (healthcare NOT tied to employment), closer proximity to so many amazing places ... The list goes on.

As of right now we don't have any plans set in stone (yes UKUrs I have the same concern as you about that ), but I know we are committed to this. We are already starting the gradual process of selling off our stuff. (Thankfully we are only renting our house!) We plan to go back for a visit in early 2010 so I can attempt to pass the Life in the UK test. (It's also an excuse to bring a bunch of our stuff over.) Then once we hit our 4th anniversary in July, I'll apply for ILE and we can make the big move, fingers crossed. It will be expensive, but if we start saving now it shouldn't be too bad.

I'm surprised at how hugely relieved I am about this decision, but at the same time I'm hugely nervous too.

Can he get his citizenship in as short as 9 months?

Well - we're not certain- but thought it was worth the try - the Texas service center took about 4-6 months this summer apparently.

I'm surprised at how hugely relieved I am about this decision, but at the same time I'm hugely nervous too.

That just about sums up my feelings.  Part of the problem of course is how many other people in your life are effected by your decision.  Both raising hopes (in-laws) and dashing others (my family, but particularly my mom).  


I think it's interesting that family seems to play a big role in the decision of where to live regardless of whether  you're repatriating or staying or are already expat.  I've moved around a lot in the US so I didn't realize how different I would feel about being close to family once we had our own children.

Marlspro, I haven't been to this site in a few years, just clicking round checking things out. I remember when you made your epic move to the US! Can't believe it's been that long already. Hope you have an easy transition getting back over here.

We plan to go back for a visit in early 2010 so I can attempt to pass the Life in the UK test. (It's also an excuse to bring a bunch of our stuff over.)

My wife will probably do this too (we've been married 30+ years and she lived in England maybe 15 years.)  Just out of interest - what do people here think of the usefulness and rationale of the KOL test?  How can being able to score well on a test of that nature possible ensure that the people who successfully jump through that particular hoop are going to be better potential residents/citizens than those who fail?  As in so much of life, it seems to advantage those who have English as a first language, are well-educated, and know how to pass tests.  Probably will be easy for my wife - she teaches ESL, GED and pre-GED in a prison and helps folk there with test prep etc.. and I believe many of them really need a lot of help!  I didn't have a problem with the idea of the US citizenship test, since it is a very traditional & straightforward test of US constitutional knowledge.  But the UK KOL test is very different.

I downloaded the test materials and etc and I agree about it being skewed toward good test takers and english speakers.

Some of the questions seem to be relevant to ensuring that people have a basic knowledge of some of the more important aspects in living in a westernized country (women have equal rights, children may not be put to work and are required to attend school) but some of the questions are just rote learning and date remembering (when did women over 30 get the right to vote? How many million english children under age 18 are there right now?).

I don't really mind it though - I suppose I feel that if you're going to get the benefits of ILE or citizenship then you should be willing to jump through the hoops.  I'm not sure that I'd agree that the US one is any more straightforward, both tests have absolute answers. (how many stripes on the flag? What color are they? How many senators are there?) I mean, I'd have to study for the US one too and the answers might be far more irrelevant to my life than knowing when my son is eligible to leave school in the UK.

Perhaps the purpose of the tests is to impress upon the individual that they are taking a serious step in applying for this status in another country - more than testing whether they'd be good residents.  Rather than the test itself being the end, it is the process of preparing for the test that is the end.

We will be moving back to a loving, stable, tight knit family (my own family doesn't even get along anymore), good friends, cousins for our future kids to grow up with (nobody in my family is anywhere near having kids), better work/life balance (my job only gives me 10 days off a year), the NHS (healthcare NOT tied to employment), closer proximity to so many amazing places ... The list goes on.

As of right now we don't have any plans set in stone (yes UKUrs I have the same concern as you about that ), but I know we are committed to this. We are already starting the gradual process of selling off our stuff. (Thankfully we are only renting our house!) We plan to go back for a visit in early 2010 so I can attempt to pass the Life in the UK test. (It's also an excuse to bring a bunch of our stuff over.) Then once we hit our 4th anniversary in July, I'll apply for ILE and we can make the big move, fingers crossed. It will be expensive, but if we start saving now it shouldn't be too bad.

I'm surprised at how hugely relieved I am about this decision, but at the same time I'm hugely nervous too.

Wow - it's so nice to know there's so many other people out there at this same point. If anything, the move back to the US showed me just how "distant" my remaining family is - there's no excuse of me being in another country but we never see each other. In fact, it feels like we've drifted further apart since my return. Meanwhile we email and phone his family routinely. And his parents have made a real effort by coming to visit us three times in the last 3 years (for a month at a time.) I truly consider them my family and would love to be nearer to them.

We own our home and are quite concerned about losing money when we sell. We bought in 2007 at the height of the market, so that is a big issue. Also the fact that we're off the UK property ladder and would have to start all over again is quite daunting.

We've started clearing out closets and selling some things but no big push because we're so unsure of what we're doing. Dh even talks about moving to another part of the US to try life there but I'm just so "over" it here that I'm not really interested. Besides, I've lived in many different States in my life and I know that the issues we are having won't go away because we're no longer in TX. But DH isn't so sure, so that's something we need to really discuss.

Meanwhile, I'm feeling a bit pressured by all of the upcoming changes to UK immigration. I kind of feel like we need to start moving NOW! That's why when we're over for a visit next month I'm taking my Life in the UK test. With that out of the way, applying for ILE would be so much simpler. And if we apply for that next year, after DH gets his US Citizenship, then I could get in over there before the UK citizenship changes take place.

There's just so much to think about that sometimes it feels overwhelming. But it's nice to know we're not alone in this indecision. 

That's why when we're over for a visit next month I'm taking my Life in the UK test.

We're stuck here until we can sort out our properties. Like you, we own our home and bought at the wrong time, which means that my visa will likely expire before I can move over.

So, I'm also going for a visit in two weeks and want to take the Life in the UK test while I'm there. How do you schedule it from the US? And have you bought the study material? If so, where did you get it from?

Thanks! 

I used this link:
http://www.multimap.com/clients/places.cgi?client=ufitest

to find the nearest test center to my in-laws (where we're staying on holiday)

I haven't actually booked it yet because I'm a little too early, but if you're going in two weeks you should call and see if you can book it. I know somebody on here tried to book it but was told they weren't making appointments more than a week out, but some centers book further out so you'll need to check.

I actually bought my books (the text book and study guide) off of eBay! I bought from a girl who was in the UK but didn't mind shipping to the US. 

You can get the study guides on amazon.com as well as amazon in the UK.

The test is very easy for an English speaker, but it does require a bit of memorization.  Cynically, I think the main purpose of the test is to raise a bit of money as well as to add an extra hoop for people to get through.  I actually quite enjoyed learning the stuff before I took the test, but I'm afraid most of the info has not been retained a year and a half later.

You can get the study guides on amazon.com as well as amazon in the UK.

The test is very easy for an English speaker, but it does require a bit of memorization.  Cynically, I think the main purpose of the test is to raise a bit of money as well as to add an extra hoop for people to get through.  I actually quite enjoyed learning the stuff before I took the test, but I'm afraid most of the info has not been retained a year and a half later.

Is there an "official" study guide?  Is it available in print or online or both?  Also, am I right in thinking that there are also unofficial, commercially-published study guides? 

I ordered the official guide -through the website:
http://www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore.asp?FO=1240167&trackid=002353

I got the online pdf's that you download to acrobat reader library.
They warn you off the unofficial ones.

Can I ask do any of the people moving back or considering moving back know if the UKC can claim any benifits? tax credits/jobseekers ect when they return? do you know if the amount of time you have been out of the UK affects being able to claim any benifits?

Kind regards

Sonya

Well we've gone from "thinking about it" to holy crap we're moving in 3 months time. 
My husband has a job at the HQ of his company, we'll be living outside of Cambridge. We will initially be living with my inlaws, and have already registered my 5 yr old at the Primary School down the road. I am currently in the process of applying for my kids' UK passports. once that is sorted, I'll be on to the spousal visa. I've done visas before, applying for my fiancee visa, then my FLR, then my husband's Green Card.... but for some reason this spousal visa process is scaring me. I think because so much has changed. We will be moving to England on March 1. We rent here (thank goodness) and our lease is up at the end of February. We will stay with my family here for a week, then move in March. There is a position open for my husband at that point, so the end of the lease seemed like the right time to go. My 5 yr old son is thrilled and excited, my 2 yr old doesn't understand, and I'm torn between happiness and OMG I have so much to do in 3 frickin months please may I have alcohol.

Well we've gone from "thinking about it" to holy crap we're moving in 3 months time. 

OMG!   

Good luck!  We meet up in Cambridge sometimes, so maybe we will meet up after you get here.