Brief history - moved to USA nearly 2 years ago for DH's job, on L1/L2 visas, with DC now aged 9, 7 and 5. It was sold to us as a three year assignment, but since being out here and meeting other families on the same programme it has become clear that it is much less clear cut than that (hollow laugh).
My plan was always that we would go back to the UK in time for my eldest to start secondary (he is currently in 4th grade, so Y5 in the UK). Local schools back in the UK are oversubscribed, so we would need to be back in the UK by next October so as to be in catchment for secondary applications. But there is no guarantee that a good role will be available for my DH in the UK in that timeframe. The expectation is that you move back when the right role becomes available, and goodness knows when that will be. Several other expat families in the same position have ended up being asked to stay long term and now have green cards.
I just don't know what to do for the best. We have a good life here in the US (in many ways our quality of life is much better than it would be in the UK). But if we stay longer then it will get increasingly hard to move the children back (there is no British school here, so the curriculum will be an problem, on top of the general issues of moving older kids). Also, there is a risk that we stay longer and don't get sponsored for green cards after all, so are forced back with young teenagers in to whatever school places we can find. And if we do stay long term, then ultimately our children will in all likelihood make the US their home, and so we will also be tied here if we want to stay close to them as they grow older with families of their own.
I'm not sure what I'm asking really... I'd just be really interested to hear from other people who are facing or have faced a similar dilemma.