britoutofwater

I have just got an interview for a job in the UK and will be speeding back next week for it.

The ultimate hope is for me to be able to move back my wife and kid so I'm staying for over a six weeks and applying for more positions in case this interview doesn't pan out.

Clearly our ultimate aim is to "settle" but that settling wont be permanent and I will have to return to the US at some point to settle our finances over her and help my family make the move. The giant hiccup in this plan is that I am 8 weeks pregnant and will be in the UK during the window for all of the first trimester screening, which I would really like to have for peace of mind.

Having been in the US for almost 10 years I'm not at all clear of what my rights are in regards to accessing the NHS. I think I've been away for longer than the window, but as the plan is to settle can I just claim I am? What does a GP even need in order for you to register with them?

I'll be staying with my mum and dad for the duration, and if we make the move that would be our permanent address until we find our feet.

SanDiegogirl

As you have been out of the UK for ten years you are not eligible for the NHS. The NHS is for residents of the UK.

You are eligible for emergency treatment.

As you are asking for pregnancy screening this would not be regarded as emergency treatment, so you possibly would be asked to pay for it.

On the other hand as you are staying with your parents and are a Brit then you might get away by claiming to live in the UK,

Shirtback

Hi OP,

In your particular case, you should make sure that you have adequate health/travel insurance on your upcoming visit to the UK.

Having said that: if, on this visit you reestablish residence in the UK (even if you have to go back to the US temporarily to tie up your affairs there), you can & should sign up for the NHS as soon as you arrive. There may be a delay before you are eligible (look at the habitual residency test).

Also look carefully at the requirements for sponsoring your wife to the UK (unless she's a citizen), & citizenship/passport requirements for your "kid".

SanDiegogirl

Travel/medical insurance won't cover pregnancy screening - pregnancy would be a pre-condition to start with.

britoutofwater

Yup, I've been working out the requirements for visa sponsorship for the wife and kid, but wont really be able to do anything about it until I have a job. I'm going alone for this trip, and didn't realise when I booked the flight (yesterday) that I was no longer eligible for treatment on the NHS. I woke up in a cold sweat last night with the realisation that this might be a problem and have been in panic mode ever since.

I have a lot of applications in for various positions that initial feedback seems to indicate I'm well qualified for, so really hoping this really is the first step to settlement and that any return to the US will just be a temporary trip to tie up loose ends, but the only way of knowing that is in retrospect.

I'm fairly certain that I wont be able to get any insurance that doesn't cost a fortune, and I doubt anything will cover antenatal care. I wonder how much just paying for the screening on the NHS would be.

Editha

I suggest you enquire about the cost of paying for the screening. Try a Nuffield hospital. It might be less than you think.

Sally Redux

The length of time you have been away is not a factor. If you have returned and intend to stay you are resident. Go and register with the GP serving your UK address.

SanDiegogirl

Have you read the following document to see how you would qualify under the financial requirements to sponsor your wife and child?

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...equirement.pdf

It is not just a case of you getting a job in the UK to obtain the visa.

If your current job pays 18,600 GBP per annum AND you obtain a job starting within 3 months of you returning to the UK, then you can apply for the visa asap and travel together with your family.

If your current job does not pay 18,600 GBP per annum, then you would need to be in the new job in the UK for 6 months before being able to apply for the visa. Your family might be able to visit for that time, but would need to return to the US to apply for the visa.

Shirtback

I didn't intend to suggest antenatal care/screening would be covered.


(If, of course, the OP is returning permanently to the uk).

britoutofwater

I'd qualify just fine. My parents would also be willing to write a letter of support saying that they would provide room and board for us.

britoutofwater

I've just been looking at the cost of just paying for the combined screening (which is the one I really want to make sure I get in on time) and it's probably about the same as we'd pay for it here in the U.S. WITH insurance.

I think I'll just try to register with the GP as the intention really is to return permanently, but if it turns into a headache that isn't going to be resolved in time for my 10 to 13+6 window I'll just pay for the screening out of pocket.

Thanks for all the replies.

SanDiegogirl

She has not returned permanently. She is visiting for a few weeks in order to attend interviews. She may or not get the jobs but either way she would not, currently, be a permanent resident.

Sally Redux

I don't believe she will have a problem but that is just my reading of the rules and experience on registering.

BritInParis

Sounds to me like the OP is returning permanently to the UK but will return to the US temporarily in the near future to tidy up her affairs there. Providing the OP has proof of her UK residential address in her name and a valid British passport I very much doubt that any GP or hospital is going to question it.

Ozzidoc

Just a heads up regarding the NHS. Sadly it is falling apart, and in many areas of England several nearby practices have closed, putting pressure on further practices, which in turn are close to folding. (I still frequent a UK-based doctors-only forum, despite having been able to escape two years ago.)

Routine appointments often have a two week wait time, and of course GPs are not actually contracted to do emergency work so a medical emergency situation needs to be seen at A&E.