Wanting to move to Scotland from South Africa

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

At the top of the page is a link to our Discover section; if you mouse over that you'll get a drop-down menu with a link to our "Scotland Guide"; that contains a mass of details that will help answer many of the questions you may have.

At this stage there's only a couple of things I have to offer:

1st - details about Ancestry visas and how to apply are displayed on the UK Gov website; this link will take you there.

2nd - if any aspect of your, or your husband's professions are regulated, then you need to start now in finding out what those aspects are and what you need to do to use these qualifications in the UK; talk to the College, Universities you went to and ask their advice; use LinkedIn to reach out to your peers already in the UK and find out what they had to do work wise to find jobs and what chances you have of finding work.

My advice is to read all the articles and consider what I've added, then if you have any further specific questions, then come back to us.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thank you so much!

Hi there from an original Scot who grew up in South Africa and lived there for 37 years. I have been back in Edinburgh for the past 17 months. I was living here previously from 1996-1999 but went back to South Africa. I am homesick for SA every single day. The weather here is not good and although all my relatives are here, I am on my own. I find the way of life here difficult as there's not much of a work/life balance like there is in SA. I have to Google practically every destination as everything is unfamiliar when you first try to navigate your way around. I find the people who are the friendliest and empathetic to you, being an expat from anywhere, are in fact other foreigners. I am often shocked and embarrassed by the behaviour of some people here. Respect and manners like in SA, aren't always on display here in Edinburgh, sad to say. Then the struggle to gain employment, even utilising recruitment agencies, because there is no history for you here in the last three years. Also, renting a property won't be that easy either, as most lettings require three year's background for the UK, landlord references, employment information and a guarantor/referee on your behalf. Life here is far more expensive to what we're used to coming from SA and without savings, it will be harder. Scotland is a beautiful country, just so vastly different to what we're used to. You'll have freedom here to walk around in public, without being robbed for your cellphone, can drive with a car window down and not fear a hi-jacking. Here, there is actually public transport you are actually permitted to use. I'm not sure about other expats from SA, but I long to be back home in SA and I doubt that feeling will ever disappear. Maybe my experience is not the same as others from SA, but I still feel like a foreigner even though I was born in Edinburgh and have all my living relatives here. I refer to SA as my home, even though I am a Scot. I haven't met any Saffas here either I call my friends in SA just to hear the familiar accent and words and phrases, I speak Afrikaans around the house as often as possible too. I might not be here in five year's time, I am still deciding on whether to go home and whether to stay here in my birth country.