SaffasintheUK

Our two boys on the day they arrived, testing their new beds We were one of those families that made the decision right from the get-go that our pets would move with us to the UK.   This was non-negotiable for us and as we started our plans and built a budget, the costs of the pet relocation was always included.   Taking your pets with you is a massive decision.   So is leaving them behind.   Right from the outset, I want to stress that, if you choose to leave your animals behind, please let them go to new homes immediately.   Don’t drag this out, don’t use any lame excuse for keeping them with you, don’t, whatever you do, leave it to the last desperate minute when you put out pleas on social media coupled with threats to drop them at the SPCA.   That is not fair.   But if you choose to move without them, and choose to rehome them as quickly as possible, giving you and the pets a chance to adjust (and for you to make sure they are really in a...

Having been on holiday this week and with a  bit of spare time on our hands, we took a meandering drive to nearby Basingstoke to do our shopping at ASDA.  In the nearly 2 years that we've been in the UK, we've never been inside an ASDA, so we decided to go to change up our routine and just for curiosity sake really.  If you aren't already living in the UK, ASDA is one of the very large grocery retailers, probably on a par with Tescos in terms of price and not too different to President Hyper in Gauteng. I still find it fascinating to wander around the stores and look at the products for sale, touching and seeing what is on offer in this amazing country.  I find it helps me to ground myself a little and every visit to a grocery store makes me feel more at home as more and more products become familiar to me.  Before you wonder why it's taken this long for me to venture into ASDA especially as they are widely found across the country, it's because we live in a v...

**disclaimer** To anyone British that happens to be reading this, I apologise for the liberal use of Saffa slang.   Ask your friend to translate the bits you don’t understand. Make sure you are ready to braai, when you do ;-) I have found myself trying to explain the South African braai culture to my colleagues and friends, and recently got to thinking….what is it that makes a braai so special to us.   Why is it not “just a BBQ”? And that is, of course, the very response I get when I describe a braai to one of my colleagues…”oh we do that when the weather is good.   It’s a BBQ!” Um, no. And FFS stop saying that. Please. But what is it then that separates the braai from the BBQ….the men from the mice so to speak?   Why are we so bloody special that our tradition is so unique when it is, at face value, literally a BBQ?   I can say that a braai is so quintessentially South African that it is to us what tea is to the British. I can say that it’s a ...

We have asked a few Saffas living in the UK, or just moving over to share their stories with us.  We'll share these every Monday for encouragement to those still making the decision or in the middle of their leap. Our first friendly voice is Julie Hall, who tells us a bit about herself and her new life: 1.        Tell us who you are and where you are from originally Julie Hall ... born in the UK emigrated to SA, aged 5 with my parents. 2.        Where are you settled now? I chose Overton in North Wales, as I had support with accommodation moving here. I am from the North of England originally and I have family not too far away although they weren't my support to start off with. 3.        What is the route you took to the UK (ie, British passport, ancestral visa, tier 2) I have a British passport 4.        How long have you been in the UK? ...

Travelling alone with the kids is exceptionally stressful, but added to this is the sometimes bizarre requirements of the Department of Home Affairs.  In order to cross the border without both parents present, a specific set of documents needs to carried along with the passport and visa. These requirements can be found at this useful link .   For those that are concerned about the "permission" required and the format of this, here is an excellent template for you to use.  This document is referred to as a PCA or Parent Consent Affidavit.  The template is written for a single parent to emigrate but can be tweaked to suit your personal circumstances. The affidavit can be stamped and signed at your local SAPS, or any commissioner of oaths or notary. IMPORTANT: Always make sure that this affidavit (or any other format you choose to use), as well as the copies of the other parent's ID/passport are certified on the same day by the same person. ...

There will be days when you miss home, and the treats we all know and love.  So here's a quick "cheat's" recipe for milk tart which can be made in the microwave.  Enjoy! MILK TART:   1 tin condensed milk 3 tins milk (use condensed milk tin) 4 tsp margarine 6 table spoons cornstarch (about 100ml) 1 egg beaten 1 packet tennis biscuits (or similar, digestives work well) Cinnamon a little extra milk 1.  Mix the condensed milk, milk and margarine together and microwave on high for 8 minutes, stirring after 4 minutes. (Times depend on the power of your microwave but have been averaged). 2.  Place a layer of biscuits at the bottom of a large dish. 3.  Mix the cornstarch with a little milk and add the beaten egg. Mix well. 4.  Add this to the hot mixture and microwave on high for at least 4 minutes, stirring after each minute. The mixture must be quite thick. 5.  Pour the mixture over the ...

**Disclaimer**  I am not a professional, and the immigration laws change frequently.  The blog below is what I did for my own application in 2016...you can read this for information purposes but you need to check with a professional before embarking on your own application. Ok, so you've established that you qualify for an Ancestral visa and you've decided to take the leap and do it.  If you are not sure if this visa is right for you, check out the blog post explaining what the Ancestral visa is. So where do you even start to get all your documents ready??? Here is a comprehensive list for your application.  The best advice I got was to start a flipfile, and label each pocket with an item on this list, dropping it in as and when you complete each step.  It's strangely satisfying to see the file fill up, but also a great way of keeping track of what you still need to collect.  Remember, some documents take time, such as official certificates and other...