US Citizen Returning to the US after living in the UK

[Cyberella]

I have been trying to find out (online) what a US Citizen (married to a UK Citizen) needs to do in order to move back to the US after living in the UK for the last 11.5 years. I realise my husband needs to file a I-130 form to get a Visa to move over, but what do I need to do? I couldn't find any helpful information which spells out exactly what I need to do...

The US Embassy in London's numbers are an endless cycle of recordings which is quite difficult to deal with with 2 small children around, so am hoping someone out there can point me in the right direction! If I should phone the Embassy back, it's not obvious which department to speak to in the list of Visa extensions....

Help!

[yankeegirl]

As a US citizen, you don't really need to do anything other than get a plane ticket and fly back to the US.

There are some practicalities to think of, however. If your children don't already have US passports, apply for them well in advance of repatriating.

Also, do you have a job lined up? You might want to look into health insurance coverage until you or your husband can get a plan through employment.

Check out the forums at www.diveintoamerica.com There are many posters who either are or have been in the exact position you're in, and you should find all the info you need on there. www.uk-yankee.com also has a repatriation sub-forum that's pretty informative.

[Cyberella]

Thanks so much for the great information! it would be nice if the Embassy put this in their site, as I was misinformed a few years back by the same said office when they intimated I would need to go through a whole process to move back - something like a 3 month waiting period to move, but maybe they assumed I meant with my UK husband? who knows!

Fortunately we registered the births and got US Passports after they were born, so we're covered on this front for a few years...

We don't have definite plans as yet, and would wait until my husband got a job offer before relocating (would never consider moving until this happened for exactly the reason of health insurance)...

I really appreciate the website addresses and will have a look once I get the kiddos in bed this evening

Thanks again for all your help!

[JAJ]

Have you thought about getting British citizenship for yourself before you leave, if you don't have it already.

[Cyberella]

Hi JAJ,

My teenage son (American citizen/UK Perm Resident who is 18 and attending University here) and I are going to apply for dual-citizenship shortly, as once his education is finished he's not sure where he wants to go - especially if my husband and I move to the US. If we do move to the US, I want my little ones to have the opportunity to be able to attend University (and College, if they want) over here and want to be able to go back and forth more quickly, and of course my eldest son also wants the flexibility.

Funny though, our UK Perm Residence letter from the Immigration office intimates (this is from 1997 mind you) that we can come and go as we want and only have to notify them of our return if we move away... though I have a feeling this isn't the case anymore....

Many thanks for bringing it to my attention though, as if I hadn't already planned on it, it is a great idea to make my life much easier if we do relocate!

[Christophe]

Hi JAJ,

My teenage son (American citizen/UK Perm Resident who is 18 and attending University here) and I are going to apply for dual-citizenship shortly, as once his education is finished he's not sure where he wants to go - especially if my husband and I move to the US. If we do move to the US, I want my little ones to have the opportunity to be able to attend University (and College, if they want) over here and want to be able to go back and forth more quickly, and of course my eldest son also wants the flexibility.

Funny though, our UK Perm Residence letter from the Immigration office intimates (this is from 1997 mind you) that we can come and go as we want and only have to notify them of our return if we move away... though I have a feeling this isn't the case anymore....

Many thanks for bringing it to my attention though, as if I hadn't already planned on it, it is a great idea to make my life much easier if we do relocate!

I presume that you have indefinite leave to remain (ILR)? In that case you can come and go as you please, but your leave to remain is predicated on the basis that you are actually living in the UK. ILR is normally taken to expire if you are continuously away from the UK for two years or more; however, equally, more frequent visits to the UK to "top up" the ILR while you were really living in, say, the USA, would not be sufficient to retain the ILR either — whether this would be spotted by the immigration officer on your entry to the UK depends, of course, on all sorts of things.

Clearly the best option for you and your son would be to apply for British citizenship while still in the UK. Is he the son of the British citizen that you are married to? If so, does he already have British citizenship by descent?

You will be able to retain your US citizenship on naturalisation as a British citizen.