Moving to the UK with HK wife

[nihaobitches]

Hi, hope someone can shed some light on a couple of questions.

My wife (HK passport), myself (UK born/passport etc) and our two young children (both British passport holders born in HK) want to relocate from HK where we've lived for 8 years. We will be starting a restaurant when we move over to the UK.

I have questions regarding meeting the financial requirements and also having proof of address.

We plan to use cash savings to meet the financial requirement (we have around 200k pounds in various forms and will liquidate the 64k which is needed). Would I still need to find a job before making the application or is that requirement no longer necessary because of the cash savings? I have read conflicting things - people still needing jobs , despite meeting the financial requirements with savings.

Regarding the proof of address, we don't have any UK property and were planning on renting once we get over there - but that would mean no proof of address when we make the application. Is it possible to use my parents' address if I get them to put some bills or whatnot in my name? Or can I just even use their address and say we will be stopping there? I have emailed UK immigration regarding these questions, but I never get an answer - just a generic 'please see the website....'.


I also have an Irish passport - does anyone have any experience of using another EU passport to settle in the UK? Is it a viable option if the UK passport proves to be too much of a ball ache?

Thanks for any advice, and sorry for the long post!

[Mat]

Great user name!

[nihaobitches]

Great user name!

Ha! Thanks! I've been a longtime lurker and that sprang to mind when thinking of a username.

[TheBrit]

I've not done this process, but have looked into it as a contingency - and started the ball rolling on the 6 months cash requirement.

I believe you don't need a job if you can demonstrate the requisite level of cash savings - that's the whole point of the exemption
Google the Survinder Singh route and see if the Irish passport is of any use
The 64k (I thought it was 62k) needs to be in an account for six months - need to show bank statements.
All the rules may change with Brexit, as clamping down on non-EU immigration may no longer be a priority when EU immigration can be controlled.

There is a lot of information here

BritCits

Good luck! The way the British government has treated British citizens with non-EU spouses is frankly utterly disgraceful - and one reason I despise Theresa May as she implemented this system for political ends - no matter how many families it destroys.

[nihaobitches]

Thanks for the reply and link, TheBrit, much appreciated!

Yeah, I was under the impression that the job requirement wouldn't be needed, but my wife said that a friend of friend of a friend (I know, I know) had their application rejected because he (the UK passport holder) didn't have a job, even though he had several hundred grand in the bank. I just want to be extra sure, I guess! As for the 64k figure, I was just rounding up after the NHS surcharge/misc stuff and plumped for 64k.

[TheBrit]

Please let us know how it goes. Lots of others in similar situations. Wish you all the best.

[DirtyHairy]

I'm British and my wife is from HK. Prior to travelling to Britain we were both permanent residents in Sweden, she having obtained residency under Surinder Singh. When we travelled to the U.K, we had with us our son and my wife was pregnant with our second...


There's nobody to speak to about the application...we were told she's have to do the 'Britishness' test...this in spite of it being 'illegal' for them to reject her application...in the meantime, anyone from most of Europe can simply waltz in and do whatever the hell they like...


A year went by in limbo with no word...we lived in a 'very nice' village but were burgled as we slept...the police didn't give a shit...wife couldn't be there anymore.


I got the chance to be landlord of a pub in Oxford so we moved there and it was good for a while...then one evening gypsies came in and had a brawl with the locals...wife now hates England...


I try one last time to speak to immigration...they did have a premium line which took credit card but the people knew less about immigration law than I did.


Meanwhile, NGOs everywhere provide immediate support to non British families...


It was a very quick decision for me actually in the end...sold up and moved here...never looked back...I will leave HK eventually but England can kiss my white ass...it's not on the list of potentials.


And good luck!

Add to what TB says...please let us know...and my story is 7 years old...

[merchantms]

It is horrible how these families are treated. My spouse and I naturalized as British citizens and we have more rights than people who were born and raised there but took the opportunity to go abroad and marry a non-British person.

[chuckster007]

My mate who is a Brit and his HK wife moved back last year, it took them a year to get her visa processed, she did the 'Britishness' test and aced it but due to some reason they rejected her visa over some stupid TB test which they had it done in HK but wasnt accepted I think, anyways the re applied and it was finally approved, they spent like 3000 quid for the whole process.

They went back with savings of around 80K quid, stayed at the parents house, the mrs tried to open a bank account and was so pissed off LOL. They will probably leave UK once she gets her Brit citizenship/passport. LOL

[TheBrit]

TB test?