The covid-19 pandemic forced the UK government to carry out a large repatriation operation over the last few months to bring people back to the country.
But it seems the return of British expats may well be short lived in the long run.
Global financial advice firm DeVere Group surveyed 754 UK expats in Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, Oman, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, France, Portugal, Hungary, Germany, Mexico, Russia and Zimbabwe.
It found 62% would never relocate back to Britain, 11% said they would consider it, while 27% said ‘maybe’.
Nearly half (44%) of respondents said they relocated from the UK primarily for work or career reasons.
Finances
Despite the majority of respondents saying they would not consider returning to the UK, the survey also found that 70% still regularly send money back to Britain.
Some 81% were able to save more in their overseas location.
Nigel Green, founder and chief executive of DeVere Group, said: “It will surprise many observers that despite the global pandemic and rising economic, political and social tensions in many countries around the world, the ‘pull’ factors of overseas living far outweigh those of the UK.
“Indeed, the UK’s ‘push’ factors, such as fears over a no-deal Brexit, political issues, the cost of living, high taxes, low interest rates, a weak pound, the scrapping of some age-related benefits, quality of lifestyle, crime concerns, and the weather, that encouraged people to relocate, anecdotally, seem to have intensified for many respondents.”
Keep options open
Green added: “The concern is that those who assume that they will never return to the UK, or indeed relocate somewhere else, is that they will not have all the available and/or necessary financial options open to them should they need to go back to Britain, or indeed elsewhere, for whatever reason.
“Living internationally is an overwhelmingly positive lifestyle experience and career move for the majority of people.
“Yet it is important not to rule out the possibility of returning back to the UK or moving on somewhere else in the future.”
