Hi,
(D)H left just before the birth of DD and we've now been separated for about 6 weeks. I've spoken to my solicitor and got a basic plan together about finances. Lots of things still depend on how (D)H is deciding to proceed. We are abroad and I'm not sure whether he'll move back to the UK or stay here. He's said he wants a divorce but there's not much we can do about that for about a year. He's on parental leave until the autumn and there's not much we can do before he goes back to work. We'd get the child support payments to kick in only after he's earning enough money again.
However, if he decides to go back to the UK, I'd like to ask for sole custody of our two DC, who would stay here with me. (They are habitually resident here by now and both have citizenship as well.) Has anyone ever tried that, if the other parent moves abroad?
It would just make things much easier. For most official things, I need his signature at the moment. Since he doesn't talk to me and for some reason doesn't trust me (as in, it's not good enough if I translate documents for him and tell him what they are for...he needs to have friends translate them for him), it slows things down. I can't open a savings account for DD, I'd need his signature to enrol her in nursery, etc. It will be even slower if I have to start sending documents to the UK and wait for him to sign and return them.
His visitation rights would be unaffected by the custody arrangement.