moonpig

My friend's husband a GP, emigrated to Canada from the UK 3 years ago. From the moment he left, he stopped court enforced payments of child support. Will my friend be able to enforce these payments from the UK?
Any answers to these questions would be great positive or negative.

farjojo71

Yes he can be chased for payments! I live in Canada and my ex husband stopped his child support payments last April when I left the UK. I have now applied for child support via the Interjurisdictional Support Orders (ISO) Act. Through this, I can apply for child support at my local court here in Alberta and this then gets sent onto the court in the UK and is enforced as if I am still living in the UK. This can work the other way too from the UK. In the UK, the parent who the child lives with can apply through the REMO (Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders), this is the UK's version of the ISO but it generally works the same.

http://www.csa.gov.uk/en/case/remo.asp

Also, just to make you aware, the whole procedure can take up to 1 year to complete however my ex will be stung for back payments from the month he stopped paying for his son so I hope the father has been putting some money aside.

HTH

moonpig

Brilliant, I'll let my friend know tomorrow! He left 3 years ago and stopped paying the moment he left. Now all we have to do is find him which hopefully shouldn't be to hard as he's a GP and she knows which area he moved to. Hopefully there'll be some sort of register, she had no idea until today that she might be able to pursue him in Canada! Three to four years backdated child maintenance payments would help her so much. Pity it takes so long, does his non payment have any implications on his immigration status?

Piff Poff

There are ways a guy can wiggle out of paying child support - my ex hasn't paid a penny for 15 years and CSA just dropped the case without telling me:curse:

farjojo71

Hope she is successful at finding him. Its a disgrace when the absent parent stops supporting their child. I don't have any idea I'm afraid on whether his non payment would have any implications.....I'm thinking not though if he is still here after 3 years.

Yeah agreed Piff, some parents do get out of paying....my poor ex is not that lucky though, he is in the Royal Navy so no ducking and diving for him!!

geo4

This thread deserves some balance.

Cue a Dad who got stitched up by the Courts and his ex in....5....4.....3.....2......

Piff Poff

My husband????

fledermaus

She should be able to look up where he works online.

farjojo71

I think Geo means himself Piff although I don't personally think this thread is unbalanced.

Piff Poff

Oh possibly. I personally think that for every one parent that doesn't pay (enough) there is one that pays too much - or so it seems in my experience

farjojo71

Very true. I just hope that Geo doesn't think that this thread has drifted into a 'father' bashing....far from it. This is only about a father who is not providing for his child/ren at all.

Piff Poff

I don't think there has been any father bashing, I am sure there are mothers out there not paying their way too.

DandNHill

This is an interesting thread. I had to get a solicitor involved to get permission to take my 12 yr old to live in Canada. One of my bargaining tools was that I wouldn't ask for any further maintenance payments from my ex to which my solicitor replied that I wouldn't be able to enforce it once in Canada anyway??!!!
She might have done me out of a lot of money then!!!!!!

farjojo71

As far as I am aware, any arrangements made via the CSA is not enforceable once one of the parties leaves the country, hence what this Act is all about. Check out http://www.albertacourts.ab.ca/familylaw/iso/iso.htm. this only applies to Alberta but I know the other provinces have a similar set up (apart from Quebec)

Clematis

Yep, we have one of those, she is only supposed to pay 40GBP for three kids a month, not one penny in three years.. Hey ho hum