bigmattE

Had joined and posted here months ago about leaving the USA to come back to the UK. Well here we are back at home and so so very glad for it. Not one part of me misses the horrid country of America.

My family are so happy to have the kids home and it feels like we never left. Had near 4 years in MN and I really hated it. I have so many spinal health problems and now getting near $1,500 worth of med's per month for free

And getting the help we actually need from the government

We did have to prove to get Jobseekers and Housing benefit that we are home for good and that took near 3 weeks to all be sorted but all worked out good. I mention that due to the posts I have seen from folks asking about being able to get any benefits.

I love the food here, the weather ( yes i enjoy mild temps and rain ), the people are nicer, they understand my accent and many more. I am home where I belong.

Starting college in September for my degree in Software Engineering. So all is going good.

Mallory

Glad you are getting the benefits you deserve! Sounds like you are living in the right country for you. Congrats, and enjoy all the perks!

Sue

So pleased that things are coming together for you. That's great news indeed.

Please don't abandon BE, I'm sure there are many who would benefit from your experiences of moving back.

bigmattE

Yes, sure can share my experience and hope it may help somebody else.

Only real bother we are having is getting everything sorted for our children. 7 months old and near 2 half year old. Registering them with my doctors etc and child benefits takes a bit longer.
I called child benefit and explained that I as a British citizen had 2 kids in America and we are home for good, they said no problems, just send in their birth certificates and we will be good to go. Should be no problems.

When you first apply for any benefit, if you are outside of the UK for more than a year they need evidence you are here to live for good. I simply took them my rent agreement and the letter showing I had applied for housing benefit and that got it all sorted. We actually spoke to the " decision maker " at the benefits office and he clearly seen we were genuine citizens who had returned home for many reasons.

Once you get approved for 1 benefit then all others will fall into place. Not to sure what else to really say. Beyond I am very glad to be home.

Paul B

It took nearly a year to get Child Benefit sorted for our little 'un when we moved back to the UK. There were no end of complications and incompetency by the people in charge. I finally made a call and asked who I needed to speak to to make an official complaint about incompetency, and within a week we had a cheque for the back payments and regular payments into my bank account.

One of the many sticking points was that they preferred it to be paid to the mother, not the father, even though we are married and living happily together, which entailed the whole application process being done over again.

Yet when they finally got their finger out they started paying it to........ .......the fathers account.

And when we left the UK, some 8 years later, it took three months to get them to STOP paying it!!!!! I had to refund them by cheque, bunch of idiots!

BristolUK

Its not quite as straightforward as that and any member of staff saying that is mistaken...just as those who say one needs to be back for a minimum period before qualifying are mistaken. The JSA/Habitual Residency threads here are full of it.

Not picking on you Matt, just trying to prepare others for all the inconsistencies they may encounter.


Things like that will certainly help. But the Housing Benefit office also has to decide on the habitual residency issue and although their decision is supposed to be "their" decision, if the decision on the JSA application has gone against one, the housing benefit office is unlikely to disagree.

By the same token, if the JSA office has accepted the residency aspect, the Housing Benefit office would too - as per your later comment.

No doubt you made your case well.

Other people are a bit taken by surprise and then it can become a problem. Plenty of threads about that too.

Although lately there have been some good outcomes posted.


Someobody posted only a couple of days ago that it was sorted in about three weeks I think.

There are always completely different experiences.



Here's that Child Benefit post.

bigmattE

Sure every case is different. Just stating what I experienced and what the staff of my local benefits office told us. My friend taught English in Poland for a few years, came back and got on jobseekers and he also had to prove he was back for good. His took about 3 weeks also. BUT and it is a big but, as stated, every single case is different.


I should clarify that my housing benefit was not approved till my jobseekers was approved. I mentioned i took the jobseekers people a letter from the housing benefit. It was a letter showing that I had applied and they had received my claim for HB.

I was told no longer then 3 weeks for the child benefits to be processed. That was told to me by the person i spoke to.

isgraham

Nice to see how quickly you can start claiming benefits in the UK.

nun

The NHS is what I look forward to when I come back to the UK from
US. Not having to worry about health insurance will be fantastic. To the OP remember that your children are US citizens because of where they were born so there will be implication for them in the future.

Nyz

That is so great to hear for a ditherer like me, who is almost certainly moving back in the next month or so after 10 years in LA!

Kathryn V

When you first apply for any benefit, if you are outside of the UK for more than a year they need evidence you are here to live for good. I simply took them my rent agreement and the letter showing I had applied for housing benefit and that got it all sorted. We actually spoke to the " decision maker " at the benefits office and he clearly seen we were genuine citizens who had returned home for many reasons.

Once you get approved for 1 benefit then all others will fall into place. Not to sure what else to really say. Beyond I am very glad to be home.[/QUOTE]

Hi

I was wondering if you had paid NI contributions when you lived in America, because when we returned to the UK over 3 years ago, after living outside the UK for 5 years, my husband could not claim any benefits. We had both paid into the system for over 20 years before we left and he could not claim job seekers allowance. May be it was because we had savings

Kathryn

nun

Hi

I was wondering if you had paid NI contributions when you lived in America, because when we returned to the UK over 3 years ago, after living outside the UK for 5 years, my husband could not claim any benefits. We had both paid into the system for over 20 years before we left and he could not claim job seekers allowance. May be it was because we had savings

Kathryn[/QUOTE]

Im interested in this too. I've paid 27 years of Class 2 NI contributions and I know that they don't qualify me for unemployment benefits. However, if I come back to the UK and become resident what do I qualify for? I'll certainly use the NHS, but I hope to have enough money to buy a house and live on, so
I wasn't planning on applying for other benefits. But would I qualify for any?

brits1

Good luck and all the best with your degree.

bigmattE

What do you mean by implication's in the future for my children?
I am British so they hold dual citizenship. I am unaware of any implication's. Have we overlooked something?

BristolUK

Subject to rules about capital, income and availability for work you'd have the same benefit conditions/entitlements applying to other residents.

You'd have to be accepted as habitually resident. Take a look at Job Seekers Allowance/Habitual Rediency threads. There are a few and they include a couple of links regarding the rates.