Bringing wife back after being away for 4 years

[trandy]

So my US wife got her ILR when we got married in 2012, we stayed in the UK for three years, then moved to the US in 2015 and want to move back in 2020.

Basically, we just want some kind of overview of what to expect to get her back in. I know post Brexit it's going to be hard and that after 2 years the ILR is done and dusted, but don't really have a good idea of exactly what happens next for us.

[zimba]

Your wife has lost her ILR status as she has been absent for more than 24 months.
In some rare cases, she may be able to get her ILR status back. See: https://www.gov.uk/returning-resident-visa

Brexit changes nothing for non-EU nationals who are evaluated under the UK immigration rules (Brexit is irrelevant to them)
If she cannot be a returning resident, she simply needs to apply under partner/family visa route: https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa

[Amber]

She should have naturalised as British as now she’ll have to apply for leave to enter under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules - https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/partner-spouse

There is such a thing as returning residence for those with ILR who have been abroad for more than 2 years, but it’s not easy to get and depends on connections to the UK and reasons for the absence - https://www.gov.uk/returning-resident-visa

[trandy]

Thanks for the info guys. Ok so it seems like there's two routes, but which one should we take? do we have to go through ILR first before going through as spouse from scratch?

Given that it is apparently hard to reinstate ILR, should we try?

Thanks

[zimba]

Thanks for the info guys. Ok so it seems like there's two routes, but which one should we take? do we have to go through ILR first before going through as spouse from scratch?

Given that it is apparently hard to reinstate ILR, should we try?

Thanks

You may try but you need to have a very good reason to get her ILR back

[vinny]

See also Returning residents.