Returning to UK, sponsoring foreign wife

I'm British and after 20+ years here want to return to the UK and naturally bring my Indonesian wife of 14 years with me. We have three kids under 18, all British passport holders.

Well, it turns out I'm functionally illiterate when faced with guidelines from the British immigration authorities on what I need to do.

Does anyone have any useful experience with this? I can't afford thousands on a lawyer, or at least would rather not spend the money if I didn't have to.

BARRACLOUGH,

It has become harder over the years for a foreign spouse to go to the UK.
Basically here is what you need to do to apply for a visa:

1/your spouse needs to take an English exam at the British Council (basic exam)
2/your spouse has to have an X ray for TB (at selected clinics)
3/you must demonstrate you are in a relationship (should be easy in you case)
4/you need to have a job lined up in the UK with a salary I think of around £18,000 pa
5/you need to demonstrate you have sufficient funds &/or demonstrate your income for the last year
If you do not have a job lined up in UK then you need savings of some crazy high figure of £68,000, this must be left untouched for 6 months before you apply ie you can't just borrow and pay back a few days later, you need to show proof you have had this cash for 6 months (they won't accept either the fact you have a house above this value).
6/apply after filling out the relevant forms etc and paying the fee of around £950

Note: the figures quoted above are approximate (and vary if you have any non British children who are also applying) as I can't remember the exact numbers, a search on line will help you understand more about the costs and the process. There are one or two immigration consultants in HK that can help you with the process & documentation have a look in the back of The Standard for instance. And good luck!