Immigrating to the UK

York is lovely. Spent some time up there on holiday last year.

We try go to Yorkshire (sheffield) every other month to see family
 
The Voice said:
Office dress depends on who you work for and where. Smart casual with dress down Fridays isn't uncommon, but for interviews they expect you to be fully suited (everyone else will be - don't put yourself at a disadvantage by being sloppy). Generally office workers in the city will have smart shoes, trousers and a button up shirt. Client facing will be fully suited, but again, depends on company/industry.

Housing takes getting used to. As South Africans we've generally grown up used to having a lot of space. That quickly disappears over here, so if you value that, forget London and the suburbs. It's very easy and relatively quick to commute, anyway.
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You've not seen the sizes of townhouses nowadays have you? I lived in one that was 50sqm.
 
Lupus said:
You've not seen the sizes of townhouses nowadays have you? I lived in one that was 50sqm.
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You'd love London, then! And when I said space I virtually meant everything, from front and back yards (which are almost nonexistent), to pavements that can barely accommodate two people standing next to each other, and roads that only allow average or small-sized cars through (and you're pretty screwed if someone is coming from the opposite direction).

I'll give it to the English: they've adapted quite well. They've managed to squash everything in, because the city isn't legally allowed to expand past its boundary lines anymore. And there's still so much greenery within: huge parks like Richmond and Hyde.
 
The Voice said:
You'd love London, then! And when I said space I virtually meant everything, from front and back yards (which are almost nonexistent), to pavements that can barely accommodate two people standing next to each other, and roads that only allow average or small-sized cars through (and you're pretty screwed if someone is coming from the opposite direction).

I'll give it to the English: they've adapted quite well. They've managed to squash everything in, because the city isn't legally allowed to expand past its boundary lines anymore. And there's still so much greenery within: huge parks like Richmond and Hyde.
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I spent some time looking at some London flats last week. One thing I like is that the internals (fixtures, appliances, design, etc.), generally seem up to date (at the high end at least), since the cost of these is so small relative to the cost of the overall property (further enhanced by the smaller sizes of the upgrades).

I have family that have bought at the high end in CT and Jhb and the places either came with a lovely 70’s decor or a bunch of bargain basement modifications attempting to make the property feel new.
 
cguy said:
I spent some time looking at some London flats last week. One thing I like is that the internals (fixtures, appliances, design, etc.), generally seem up to date (at the high end at least), since the cost of these is so small relative to the cost of the overall property (further enhanced by the smaller sizes of the upgrades).

I have family that have bought at the high end in CT and Jhb and the places either came with a lovely 70’s decor or a bunch of bargain basement modifications attempting to make the property feel new.
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Yeah they're big on new developments here. Or taking an old building, gutting it, and completely modernising the interior, like you mentioned.

It's a weird mix of beautiful old buildings (hundreds of years old) sandwiched between modern blocks of flats. A lot of the builds are only about 70 years old - hard to think that a large portion of London was flattened by the Blitz, but they rebuilt quickly. One area in the city I've noticed undergoing major transformation is Vauxhall - every time I travel in to Waterloo there seems to be another high rise going up. Previously, it all looked very meh and dated, and now it's filling up with glass towers.

Of course, this rapid growth sometimes comes at a cost when people start taking shortcuts (Grenfell, anyone?). Friends of ours moved into a relatively new build (the block of flats went up about 10 years ago) in North London. They were moved into a different apartment about 2 months ago when the ceiling in their lounge collapsed one evening (they lived on the top floor, and the rain on the roof hadn't drained properly).

We went round for a visit one afternoon after it had been repaired, and they took us around the building to show us all the random things they'd found just living there for a few months: their front door that wasn't properly aligned, so it had to be forced open or closed. Sections of missing skirting in the hallways, doors in the flat that couldn't lock properly (one mechanism didn't line up with the gap in the door frame), and just a lot of signs of it having been a rushed project. All the rubble from the revamp in the building next door was still just lying in their shared parking lot behind the flats months after the work had been completed.

Luckily, it was only temporary while they were waiting for their bond approval, and they've now moved into their new home further away from the city.

Like I said, the city can't expand outwards anymore because of the green laws, so the only way is up. London does have a housing crisis, simply because it's still such a tempting destination for so many people from around the world. The sewer system that was built to accommodate about 3 million people now has to try and do the same job for almost 10 million people. So, from an infrastructure POV, I can understand why they're trying to slow immigration - people coming to the UK generally use London as their port of entry, and sometimes never leave. I wouldn't say it's a UK problem - but it's definitely magnified in the capital.
 
Grats to her. Nothing better than when your loved ones also have one of those
 
I'm going on her dime. I'm still stuck here with only an SA passport.

Kids are next up after their adoption has been finalised and they will get British passport on account of their adoptive mother being British born and my spousal visa to join her.
 
Really impressed with Royal Mail.

Our first wedding anniversary that we are apart and I ordered a bouquet from an online florist. Was surprised that a florist would use royal mail to deliver a bouquet.

Order was dispatched yesterday by the florist and delivered this morning at 11:00 to her work by Royal Mail.
 
signates said:
I'm going on her dime. I'm still stuck here with only an SA passport.

Kids are next up after their adoption has been finalised and they will get British passport on account of their adoptive mother being British born and my spousal visa to join her.
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How long are you expecting the adoption process to take still?
 
Had considered moving back to the UK with the missus and the kids but we’ve just returned from a couple weeks in the states and we’ve all decided we’d prefer it there.
 
AdrianH said:
How long are you expecting the adoption process to take still?
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Best case scenario, another 4 months.

It's complicated. The children were placed in foster care with us with no trace of their biological parents. The youngest' birth was never registered so she doesn't have a birth certificate and it was a nightmare to get her accepted for grade 1 next year as the school needs a birth certificate. I also can't get her on our medical aid as they also need it.
 
signates said:
Best case scenario, another 4 months.

It's complicated. The children were placed in foster care with us with no trace of their biological parents. The youngest' birth was never registered so she doesn't have a birth certificate and it was a nightmare to get her accepted for grade 1 next year as the school needs a birth certificate. I also can't get her on our medical aid as they also need it.
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Sounds very stressful.

Forgive my ignorance, but how did the children get placed with you without the government resolving the birth certificate issue?
 
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