Moving to India (Mumbai) - no idea where to start?

[Sheilds]

I am a very long time MNer :) H and I are divorcing, and I am engaged to someone else who (normally) lives in India. We have talked about where we would live (it's abit complex as he studies for his job (on a ship) in the UK, and his ship company is based in miami) but it boiled down to the education is better in India than UK (I have 3 young children), neither of us really want to go to the USA and he has a house in Mumbai already anyway (and alot of family). We have planned to go about March 2013, so, are putting the wheels in motion now. Can anyone tell me....everything (!) about living in India - it is a massive step, but, I have over a year to work it all out. I need to mainly think about all the paperwork, the kids going to school, me studying out there etc.

My cousin lived in Bombay/Mumbai about 12 years ago. She loved it as she'd been a long time expat, her children loathed it and went to boarding school in England.
Depending on the age of yours, they could really struggle. I know the Indian school system is great for rote learning, but any imagination or deviation from the rule is squashed. DH was offered a job (not in Mumbai) there and turned it down.
Have you even been there? I spent a week or so but it was on holiday so we saw the glamorous side (very small) of the city. I honestly think you need to go and spend some time there. Unless someone is going to make all the arrangements for you it will be difficult.
Will you all qualify for immigration visas? What are you planning to study? How will you support yourselves? What does your ex DH think about all this.

Is the education better in India?

I would spend an extended time there, finding out how you would live your life, visit schools, residential areas, explore how you would travel round the city, etc. If your DF has lots of family there, can you go and stay for a month?

I will definatly travel there first, just this is I guess "best case hypothetical" planning :) My children are 5, 3 1 so I am thinking sooner rather than later, if we are going to do it. Ex H doesnt have alot of "say", I am not sure he will even have contact and that is a whole other story. I am not sure what visas we will qualify for, I haven't a clue at all about all of this yet (the technical side) - we are planning to marry in March '13, so from that do we need visas? Would I need a visa to go and marry there? I have amillion and one questions I am not even sure where to start. First of all, I know we will be going for a month (ish) in 2012, so I can meet family etc. and I guess make sure it is definatly what we want - that is the first "hurdle" that I don't know if I need a visa for that or not. I think I better not go until I am 100% divorced, as I am not sure if I can finish it off from India? And I have a house here, so will have to sell that first I guess, as I cannot rent it out for more than 2 years and it has laready been let for 6m. (and DF cannot take on a buy to let mortgage I guess being indian?)
[head explodes]

I think you need to slow down. You don't seem to have the answers to the most fundamental question, will you be allowed to live there either before or after marriage.
Get onto your computer and google, you can contact the Indian Embassy for advice. I visited them to get visas for holidays and they were helpful but s-l-o-w.
What other family do you have apart from your children? Parents and siblings etc. Will they be happy to go to visit what is essentially a third world country?

Hi,

I am teaching in Mumbai at the moment.

You will need a visa to visit, as will your children. This will be a tourist visa.

After you marry you can then apply for entry visas for everyone. It will be a slow and frustrating process. You will think it is slow when you are in the UK and then you will come here and go to FRRO and wish you were back in the UK.

Schools can be good. The Indian system is starting to deviate from the rote learning approach but it is a slow process. There are international schools but they are seriously expensive. The parents of students at my school are fabulously wealthy - we went to a birthday party for a 6 year old last week at a five star hotel and the gift we were given when we left was a digital camera.

Whereabouts in Mumbai does his family live? Would you be expected to live with your in laws? That would be the norm.

Feel free to PM if you want more information.

You are engaged to someone else before your divorce is finalilsed? And planning to emigrate, moving your children, and live in a country you (so far) have very little experience of?
Are you living together at the moment?
It sounds a very big move, very fast.

I know of an Indian family who moved back to India from the UK so the man could start up a mobile phone company. They were back within 6 months as the children couldn't settle and hated the schools.

Probably not the most helpful comment.

But it seems you have a lot to learn yet about what you would be undertaking.

Sorry some more thoughts.

Why does your soon to be ex have little say? He could presumably take you to court to stop this move. I am here as a single parent and people find it hard to understand, in many ways India is very conservative. People will find it strange that you are here with him and he is not the father of your children.

I don't know what your background is, but you might have to consider the ways Indians view mixed race couples and how that would affect the children.

How much better Dun and Marco have put it than I could.
It does seem very soon to be undertaking such a huge move but [shrug] maybe I am just a fogey.

Agree with everyone who says slow down. Lots of odd elements in your posts, eg you can't let your house for more than 2 years - why on earth not? If you have never even visited India, you really don't have the faintest idea what you'll make of it, let alone the impact on yoru kids and their relationship with their father. See ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-india/ for info on official stuff but don't rush into this, really.

Sorry to bump an old thread but I wanted to ask how all the planning is going?