AngelaV

Sorry for taking so long to get back!


A) What visa did your husband apply for to enter Ireland? (short stay for long stay (D) As a South African, Angela's husband didn't need a visa for Ireland That's right, he didn't need a visa
B) What did you need to provide to the Irish and UKBA authority to show your self employment paid a wage for you. I believe proofs for UKBA included invoices and receipts plus rental agreement. I don't believe the Irish Government needed these proofs.
We provided our accounts showing income and expenditure with copies of invoices and receipts. We didn't generate enough for a salary but this is not a requirement thankfully. The business made enough to cover basic business expenses only but that is to be expected in a start up business.
C) Did you have to register as self employed with Irish Revenue Office (Not sure if that’s what they call it there) I believe that you only need to register if your business name is different from your own.I did register the business. As Dave said, you don't need to register if you call your company just your name but as it is so cheap and quick to set up, it's definitely worth doing just to authenticate the business as genuine and effective
D) Did you have to pay tax (if so how as most tax returns are done after fiscal year ends) You can request to pay your taxes monthly if self-employed.We haven't paid tax yet. Tax is paid in October each year so we won't need to submit our accounts until next year.

I personally think that if you have some savings behind you and can afford to support yourself in Ireland for a few months (unless you have a business able to support you from the start), self-employment is the easiest way to go as you can start your surinder singh clock as soon as you arrive. Ireland is very geared up to help self employed people. We even got a credit card when we opened a business account. I know that more and more people going the Ireland route are moving more towards being self-employed due to difficulties obtaining paid employment.

bhyc

Hi guys - thanks very much, particularly to Angela for all the information that has been given.

I am a BC married to a Malaysian, currently in Kuala Lumpur. We have come to the decision that it is time to go home to the UK, via SS route - as that is the only viable option for me.

My wife is currently 7 weeks pregnant... it's part of the reason why we are seriously looking at returning to UK. I've lived in Malaysia for 4 years now, and honestly, it is not the place to raise a child, particularly if I have a choice between UK and Malaysia.

As long as the pregnancy sticks, the child is due in July 2014. This leaves me in a situation of when to begin our journey... Realistically the earliest we can leave is probably February, which means she will be 7-8 months pregnant at the time we aim to enter the UK...

The other options: having the child in the other EU country, or waiting until the child is a few months old and then travelling. Not ideal either!

Anyway I'm sure I will end up bothering you guys from time to time with questions! Many thanks to you all! :-)

DaveLovesDee

Try the EU Free Movement group on Facebook. If you can't get into the group, my FB address is the same as my username here.

bhyc

Thanks Dave, I've just joined that group. Gonna get involved there too!

bhyc

Another thought that crossed my mind. If when we arrive back in the UK after going the SS Route, will my wife be entitled to NHS care immediately? Reason why I ask is that she is pregnant, and may likely give birth a few weeks after we arrive...

DaveLovesDee

Under the current rules, she'd be entitled to the same treatment as any other EEA national. I read the bit I highlighted in red to yes for your situation as I understand it.

Am I entitled to NHS treament when I move to England?

If you move to the UK, you will not be charged for NHS hospital treatment from the date that you arrive, as long as:
you intend to live permanently in the UK, and
you have the right to live permanently in the UK or have a ‘route to settlement’ that will allow permanent residence in due course
You’ll be expected to prove that you meet these requirements.
Your spouse or civil partner and children under age 16 (under 19 if in full-time education) are also exempt from these charges, if they live with you permanently.
If you’re not entitled to live in the UK permanently but you’ve applied to the Home Office to enter or stay, you’ll be charged for hospital treatment until:
your application is granted, or
you have 12 months’ lawful residence in the UK

bhyc

Thanks for clarifying that for me. I'm so lost in all the information at the moment I lose track of everything! Slowly getting my head around it though :-)

englishguygoinghome

From a practical perspective, you may also need to prove that you were entitled to use the hospital of choice for the birth. We moved to the UK at the start of the third trimester. The first page we lived and registered they didn't really ask for any paperwork. We changed hospital 2 days before the birth, as we had just bought a new house and moved in and they wanted to see the mortgage completion letter or a council tax bill. The first hospital was terrible and the second one of the most popular in London, so they had a lot of people trying to get in from outside their catchment area. No one really career about immigration status (18 months ago)

bhyc

I actually have a registered address in the UK at my parents - still have bank statements going there plus a couple of other bills, so could use that at first. It also helps my mother is an NHS nurse anyway :-)

This is all encouraging!

Scary still as I will be giving up a good earning business here to return to the UK. Hope I can repeat my success there! Money isn't everything though is it

AngelaV

Can you run your business from Ireland? (sorry, just realized I read it wrong - I thought your business was in the UK)

bhyc

I can only bring my skills with me, which of course will be useful, but of course we just need to get by for 3 months until we enter the UK. Actually my brother and I set up a small business in the UK a few years ago which is still running and which I could rejoin - as long as I am extra nice to my brother!

Friends here in Malaysia are going to be shocked, not least the people I employ... I'm sure they'll be okay, but have to think of family first...

Wife and I have been discussing long and hard and it seems we are going to do this!

newpin

Hello Angela
I have followed your thread with interest and have learned a lot , so thanks a lot again. I hope you are settling back into life in Scotland now
I just wanted to ask.. I have heard of several cases of foreigners being pelted by eggs or pebbles in Dublin . How was your experience?

AngelaV

[QUOTE=newpin;11009987]Hello Angela
I have followed your thread with interest and have learned a lot , so thanks a lot again. I hope you are settling back into life in Scotland now
I just wanted to ask.. I have heard of several cases of foreigners being pelted by eggs or pebbles in Dublin . How was your experience?[/Q]

Our experience in Ireland was extremely positive. We had one incident when my car broke down and every Irish person I asked to help said "no" which I found very surprising but other than that, everyone was great.

newpin

That is good to know.
Thanks!

AngelaAntonio

Hello, would you be able to send me a link to this petition? I agree with you, it's ridiculous how they make it nearly impossible to be with your loved ones in the UK. Its as if only the elite could be happily married to a foreigner.