Steven and Jackie

This may be a stupid question but......

Does anyone know if you are still entitled to UK family allowance while living in Australia on a 457 visa. I wouldnt have thought so and I cancelled ours before we left the UK.

The reason I ask is that I've heard of several people living in Oz who sill claim this in the UK due to the fact that under the terms of the 457 you are a temporary resident here.

northernbird

If you are absent for less than 12 months yes, if your visa is longer then no. people have claimed but if they are absent for more than 12 months then they are defrauding the child benefit office.

andrew63

We continued claiming until we became PR here 12 months later.

Andrew

Katherined0

My OH has a 4 year contract so I was told that as our intention was to stay out of the UK for more than 12 months it stopped the day we left. Peed me off but I'm not the sort of person who could claim for stuff they knew they werent entitled to and I think it's wrong if people do claim. It's fraud.

Katherined0

Sorry -- that post wasnt supposed to read like an attack on you -- but it does sound a bit like that.... Ooops! No offence intended!

mancity

Apparently there are 30,000 people registered in UK, claiming CB, but living in Pakistan...

12,000 are in Perth

do the sums, this is a nanny state,

northernbird

I don't care what britain is, claiming something to which you are not entitled is fraud, plain and simple. Just because other people do it doesn't make it right.

<GETS OFF HIGH HORSE>

mancity

who stops first?

its a joke this country,

as far as i am concerned I think this government is a sham

whats the punishment for it,

if your unemployed, have one eye, 3 kids to different blokes and claim poverty , worlds your oyster here

northernbird

don't be so bloody ridiculous and make sure you stop reading the Daily Mail when you go for a shit.

mancity

Stopped reading papers ages ago, text is not big enough and the clarity index is aimed at 14 year olds, not 10 year olds like me...


On a serious note though,

this government doesnt have a clue who leaved and who goes, the HM customs and excise is ridiculous.....

So if somebody didnt know to stop the Family Allowance why would they..................................

northernbird

So they probably wouldn't be found out, still doesn't make it right though does it. Social funding isn't a bottomless pit.

mancity

it is whilst you have a labour government

as they tax hapless mugs like me to pay for the social welfare benefits for the scum of this country

sj oldfield

Carol, I worked for the UK government for over 24 years and you wouldnt believe the amount of people that continue to defraud the Benefit System. the trouble is there is jusy not ennough man hours to 'round' up all these scroungers.
I regularly worked on the 'counter' and we had a couple that we KNEW were living together, but claiming everything under thesun, including Income Support, as single parent, although they werent!! we managed to get them to admit they were living together and 'closed; their claims down.
Within minutes they both came back to the counter, grinning away, and promptly stated they had just had a row, and were seperating, and wanted to claim benefit. We knew it was all crap, but how could we prove it!!!!!!!!!

northernbird

I know Sandra, it just makes me so cross. When I moved back from Canada I couldn't claim a damn thing, even had to jump through hoops to start claiming child benefit for my Canadian born daughter. I have a conscience unfortunately and couldn't do it, I would be petrified someone would knock on my door.

yanH

Bit hard for the UK Government to knock on your door when you're in Oz