catfrances

I hurt for you and your mum. Yep, it is a really hard space. No “ winning” either way. Hugs   

Yes I use my UK, so I don't get asked the usual questions. I use my USA returning and no matter what I always get asked questions when i return back here, sigh.  

Thank you for the reply. Do you know by chance when a long holiday in the UK technically turns into being a resident again? IE, having to start paying taxes etc?

Normally I do the same to go through the fast line at each place, but I hadn’t renewed my British passport in time. The  visitor line was l-o-o-o-ng at Heathrow.

Your permanent residence and tax home is the US. A long holiday in the UK does not change that. You continue to pay all taxes to the US and not the UK. There is a treaty saying you pay to where you reside. Even if you worked for a British company (as a US resident) you would still pay your tax to the IRS, not HMRC. 

There are many forums similar to VJ who handle immigration back to the UK such as Britishexpats. As for an attorney I know that Kitty Falls is London based that does consults for overseas clients. Spousal immigration info can be found here: http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Spouse_Immigration-UK

Thank you Yuna628 and Nich-Nick, you have both been very helpful. Yuna, great link, that at least explained it better than the government link did
Emma