Life in the UK - A Journey to Citizenship 2007

Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship (2007) is a book whose target audience is those who intend to take Citizenship test in the UK. This book can also be extremely helpful to you if you’re applying for British citizenship. Even if you are in the profession of teaching basic skills and English to UK immigrants, you’re most likely to recommend this book to others in the same profession. Prospective applicants for British citizenship will also find this book a gem.

Written by the Home Office Life in the UK Advisory group, the ones who actually structured the citizenship test for the UK, the book serves as a precious study aid and is very easy to understand thanks to its simple language. Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship (2007) not only helps you pass the UK citizenship test, but also serves as a unique and information rich guide to the UK. With it you get to know more about the UK and become familiar with some basic info such as where to get help, UK employment rights etc. The book contains a lot of tourist information making it a must-read for the immigrants and travelers.

Plummeting House Prices in the UK

The latest UK property reports confirm the downward trend in UK house prices, the first drop since 1996. Figures show an average 1% cut on home prices in 2008 as compared to 2007. Further slowing down of the UK housing market is feared because of the credit crunch crisis. The average home in the UK, which cost £180,314 twelve months ago, is now available at £178,555. So it’s now clear that the price boom bubble that inflated wildly since 1996 has finally burst.

While the government views the rapidly slowing housing market as a “gentle correction” of property prices, David Blanchflower of Bank of England predicts the house prices to fall by a third over the next few years unless interest rates are cut. On the other hand, economist Ed Stansfield predicts a huge 20% fall by the end of 2009. But some others argue that homes are still worth considerable, even more than they were in 2006. According to them, the UK housing market has seen huge price leaps in the past years that the present 1% drop seems merely insignificant and doesn’t appear to pose any threat to the market.

Ed Stansfield replies in ‘yes’ when asked if property prices are heading for slump. He adds, “We have long warned that the housing market boom would end with a major correction - which now seems to be unfolding.” But Rosalind Renshaw, a property market expert, answers the same question in a confident ‘no’. He says that the drop is always a good news for the first-time buyers and those wanting to move up the housing ladder. Falling prices are generally associated with negative equity but according to Renshaw, “A one per cent annual fall does not signal a return to the bad old days of the early 1990s.”

UK Property – Buy-to-let Trend

The year 2007 saw persistence in weakening of people’s affordability in terms of buying property in UK. Reports say that over the course of year 2007, affordability of the first-time property buyers continued to deteriorate with gross lending growing by five per cent.

The buy-to-let trend in UK property however has strengthened manifold over the last few years. With demand outstripping supply in case of family property, the buy-to-let market has been gaining so much potency that the National Statistics Office has termed it as an industry. It’s no surprise that UK’s buy-to-let industry has experienced one of the fastest growth rates over the last decade. The growth pace of this industry hasn’t slackened but only boomed with the passage of time. In some cases, the rates of buy-to-let property even appear to be beating the standard UK mortgage.

The continuous fluctuations in UK real estate didn’t affect the buy-to-let landowners who remained calm and confident throughout the period. According to some reliable sources, an average property investor owning ten properties in 2000, is now the owner of thirteen and plans to extend their portfolio. According to surveys carried out by Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), a whopping percentage of buy-to-let investors did not show a short-termist approach by having no plans to sell their property even if the prices fell, in which case, they would rather wait for the market to return to more favorable conditions.

Moving to UK

Moving to a new neighborhood can bring you some really overwhelming challenges. The thought of relocating to a new country hardly ever comes without worries associated with the ‘change’: Employment, accommodation, education, and a whole lot of other adjusting issues such as new banks, new doctors, and not least, a completely new society where you can feel left out at the beginning. Beforehand preparations will save you a lot of time, money and stress in the end.

Moving to UK is no different than moving to any other country. It’s important for you to be well aware of the country’s dynamics, geography, culture, society, employment opportunities and residential options before packing your bags for UK. Heading for a big country that UK is, comprising Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, you have to choose your settlement destination way before you pack your bags. While selecting a settlement destination, bear in mind some important factors such as cost of living, strength of job market, affordable accommodation, and also the weather patterns.

Make sure to have money enough to bear the inescapable expenses associated with moving to a new country. The first few months can be hard on both you and your pocket. Without a credit history in UK, you’ll most likely pay up front for most things. Renting good quality housing is quite expensive in UK, but rental prices vary from location to location. For those foreigners who can afford, buying a house in UK has become easier than ever. But before deciding to buy a house, it’s recommended that you rent a house first and get to know your neighborhood better.

All done, the one thing that remains is adjusting to the new environ. New place, new culture and new attitudes may become a challenge for you, your family, spouse, or a ‘significant other’, and all it takes is some getting used to. Hopefully, a couple of months will be enough for you to assimilate and enjoy a new pattern of life.