Retiring to the UK

Factual Questions
21

Ok I guess I can see the appeal of living somewhere like Cornwall or Devon as a retiree. Amazing landscape and so many old castles, pubs and standing stones everywhere. I spent most of my time in London unfortunately, fun for a few years but quickly becomes depressing.

Apparently they do still have a process where you can apply to settle in the UK as a “retired person of independent means”. Forms are here:

If you’re serious about it, contact an immigration law firm, they’ll usually give you an initial consultation for free and know all the rules, drawbacks and exemptions far better than you’d ever understand from reading on the internet.

22

You need to have already been living in the UK for a continuous period of at least 5 years in order to apply under this head. It’s no use to the OP.

23

But you have stinging nettles. All over the place.

When I was a child living in England, I was terrified of nettles.

[/hijack. even though we’re past the 20h post :slight_smile: ]

24

As I understand it, stinging nettles are junior league compared with poison ivy. I keep a patch at the top of my garden - butterflies love them.

25

The crucial part there is all over the place. I’ve maybe gotten hit by poison ivy once in the thousands of miles i’ve hiked in America. In England, in the 100 or so miles I’ve hiked I got stung around once an hour. On the other hand it’s true that I’d much rather get nettled: after the first one I was able to just ignore it. The first one though, I wasn’t sure what it was and it was right on my knee, so the numbness made me wonder if I’d blown out my knee :eek:

26

Ah ok I missed that. Well if you have 1 million pounds lying around (or 2 million in assets) then you can get an investor visa that leads to permanent leave to remain.

If you’ve got enough money, there’s always a way.

27

British kids learn, at a very early age, that nettle stings are treated by rubbing the irritated area with a dock leaf. It’s an acid/alkali thing.

28

Interesting. I am there a fair bit and have many friends there. My wife has given me the OK to seek a transfer (about half my team is near London) and we may make a go for it. So I understand where you’re coming from

29

That brings up another potential issue. Property in the UK is ridiculously expensive. Forget castles by the sea, if you want to live anywhere in the south east then even for a poky retired-person’s bungalow you are looking at well over a quarter of a million pounds. If it’s by the sea, half a million.

Of course, if you don’t need to be near London you can find much cheaper property. Go to Wales and you can buy your own island fort for £550,000…

30

Well there goes my moral outrage. I had assumed that even with the exchange rate change the cost of living was still substantially higher instead of similar. If it were higher, as in more than 25% higher, then the UK still wouldn’t have me but at least then I could say “I can’t be a health care refugee, since after the cost of living adjustment it will cost me about the same.”

31

Or go live in Grimsby. Plenty of affordable housing there if you’re not concerned about finding work.

32

Yes but it’s in Wales… (again I’m half welsh so I’m allowed to disparage them). Find me a castle and island for that price in Cornwall and I’m interested…

33

Cornwall is just Wales sans attitude. :stuck_out_tongue:

34

We spent 2 weeks in Wales a couple of years ago. I’d LOVE to retire there.

35

“I spent a week in Watertown one afternoon…”
-Harry Chapin

36

In Wales there are also redundant, mostly remote and isolated, adorable Anglican churches that are cost about one 15th of that fort.

Depends whether you can get along with the neighbours.