Brit and Canadian moving to UK

[mixedbag]

Hi from Toronto!

I am a British lady in her early 50's and, after having lived and worked abroad for many years, would like to move to UK this year with my Canadian husband. We have been married for over 4 years and would like to have a little more information on the spouse visa. I have been through forums and done some investigation, but I have a few questions I to be resolved:

~ Generally how long does the process take? From start to finish, assuming there are no upsets, which there shouldnt be. We will be submitting the application in Canada.

~ Can we make the application from Toronto and enter the UK together with the papers? Or do I have to go beforehand and once I am there and settled with a job does hubby apply here in Toronto?

~ Once we have the visa what is the time frame in which we have to enter the UK?

~ What sort of savings would they be happy to see? GBP 5,000 or so? We will be selling our house so it wont be a problem.

Thanks so much!

mixedbag...

[vinny]

See also How do I qualify to join my husband, wife or civil partner in the UK? and 13.5 - Spouses/civil partners and how they qualify and Sponsors Financial Situation -URGENT HELP NEEDED!!!

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

mixedbag,

You also have the option of moving to any of the other EU member states. The immigration process is particularly easy as the family member of an EU citizen. Effectively you can both get on the airplane, arrive and apply for a Residence Card as soon as you have found a job.

Ireland? Paris? Amsterdam? Rome?

Just an idea...

[mixedbag]

Vinny - Thanks so much for the info...Much appreciated!

I will also investigate the Ireland possibility. What a great idea.

Thank you both.

MB

[UKStephen]

Vinny - Thanks so much for the info...Much appreciated!

I will also investigate the Ireland possibility. What a great idea.

Thank you both.

MB

I'll attest to the Irish route being quite easy (so far). I'm British/Canadian and my wife is Canadian. I got a job offer in Ireland and we decided to take it.

We basically turned up together (no advance paperwork), told immigration that we were intending to settle in Ireland, they stamped my wife into the country and gave her 1 month to report to the immigration bureau. At one month they then extended it to 3 months, then at 3 months we were allowed for me to exercise my EU treaty rights to sponsor my wife. Then we apply for an EU-1 visa (fairly basic application), and as soon as immigration send back a notice saying they've got the application then the spouse can get a PPS# (same as a Canadian SIN card) and can work. Six months after that the immigration bureau decides your case....which in the case of a legitimate marriage and no drain on the taxpayer, should be decided in your favour.

Bringing my wife to the UK, even though I am a citizen, was much harder! In fact we lived there for a year and my UK lawyer advised me to apply for a 1 year work permit as a Canadian (in the interest of time), not as a citizen.

Hope it all works out for you, from a former Torontonian!

God I miss hockey.

[mixedbag]

Hi UKStephen!

Warm wishes from Sunny Downtown Toronto!

Thanks for the very welcome information. Are you currently in Ireland or UK? How are you settling and what was the reason to move? It is pretty hard to take your spouse to the UK, and he's taken some convincing to start with! So the smoother the better. Not sure if he can handle Ireland AND UK. Its a big move and we probably wont have jobs before we go so it will be a bit nerve wracking, especially at our ages.

Interested to hear how you are managing without hockey! Cant you just watch the footie?

Thanks for your help, Stephen
Mixedbag....

[UKStephen]

Hey mixedbag.

We are currently in Ireland. I had been transferred for work to the UK (London) in August 2007, and at the end of the year decided we didn't want to go back (we'd been living in the US for several years). I was UK-born and Canadian raised, so going back to the 'homeland' was a really enjoyable thing. My wife had never left North America before we moved, but she loved London and wanted to stay in Europe. So I started looking around for a job that would allow us to stay either in the UK or Ireland....and I landed a great job in Dublin. The immigration is really easy as long as one of you has an EU passport. The only thing that could really stop you is if it is deemed a 'marriage of convenience'.

I would think that jobs would be the hardest thing right now. The Irish economy has really, really tanked (I work for a US company so am in a bit better shape) and house prices are far higher than you would find in Toronto. Rents are not as bad though. For jobs look at www.jobs.ie and for housing look at www.daft.ie

Ahhhh, hockey. I was going to subscribe to the channel that shows it here, but the Senators didn't make the playoffs so I didn't bother. I certainly do follow the footie (always have, even in Canada), but there's nothing like a good hockey game. I'm trying to convince my local pub to show it but so far no luck. I do get to see the highlights on cbc.ca though.

All the best with your (potential) move.

Stephen