Benefits in the UK (London)
Mar 2nd 2012, 8:24 pm
#61
Brit in NL, moving back
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 8
Re: Benefits in the UK (London)
Ok, So being as clueless as I can be about the UK having been away so long. I am wondering if I will be entitled to any benefits when I return next year. I have been living in the US now for 28 years and I am now 44 years old/young. My house here in the Silicon Valley is under water and I would like to call it a day here in the US. I plan on finding work as soon as I can like most people returning home. I don’t want to be on the dole forever. That is if I even qualify. I also have read in the many threads that people use the term benefits but do not state what kind of benefits one may be entitled to. So would it be unemployment benefits. Housing benefits and how much would it be. I would like to know what I am facing when returning home. First steps to take etc.
Thanks for reading
Thanks for reading
I have lived in the Netherlands for 10 years as a teen. I have only ever paid tax in the Netherlands. I am British. I finally got some relevant info from the benefits dept. I move back to the UK at the end of the month, and will share the outcome. Of course I have already applied for jobs from abroad and hope to get working asap- but i'm prepared for the fact that life isn't always like a box of chocolates all of the time. Also i have never claimed benefits in my life, so please no 'scrounger' remarks.
Here is the info I was presented with:
"Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is a benefit for people who are unemployed and looking for full time work. There are two main types of JSA.
Contribution-based JSA (JSA (C)) is paid if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions, whilst income-based JSA (JSA (IB)) is means tested, which means that any income and savings you and your partner (if you have one) have may effect how much you receive.
As you say that you have not paid NI contributions in Great Britain, you will not be eligible to receive JSA(C). However, if you have qualified for unemployment benefit in the Netherlands, you may be able to import that benefit for up to 3 months if you are looking for work in Great Britain. You would need to have made a claim for that benefit in the Netherlands at least 4 weeks before you come to the UK. You will then be issued with a form U2, which is a standard form used by all the countries in the EU to give information about a claimant’s entitlement to exported unemployment benefit. When you arrive in Great Britain, you will need to contact Jobcentre Plus to make an appointment to register to import your benefit. You should bring the U2 with you to that appointment.
If you are not entitled to unemployment benefit in the Netherlands, or you choose not to claim that benefit, then you may still be eligible to receive income-based JSA when you return to the UK. However, in order to be entitled to JSA (IB) you will need to demonstrate that you have a right to reside and are ‘habitually resident’ in Great Britain.
The term ‘habitual residence’ refers to a test of whether a person is normally resident in Great Britain and eligible to benefits. British citizens have an automatic right of residence in the UK , but the test of habitual residence is applied to everyone who applies for JSA (IB) including British Citizens.
As you have lived in the Great Britain in the past and you are resuming your residence you may be able to be treated as habitually resident immediately.
Whether this will apply to you will be considered by a Decision Maker and will depend on the circumstances under which your earlier habitual residence was lost; including the links you maintained with the UK whilst you were abroad and the circumstances of your return to the UK .
As the term ‘habitually resident’ is not defined in benefit regulations and there is no absolute definition or list of factors which determines a person’s habitual residency, a Decision Maker will need to look at your personal circumstances in order to decide whether you are habitually resident. You will generally have to show that you intend to make your home in the UK by, for example, bringing your possessions with you or travelling on a one-way ticket. You must also be actually resident before you become habitually resident. There is no minimum period for which you need to be resident, but the longer you are here the easier it will be to demonstrate that you are habitually resident."
The last sentence seems to be what the unsuccessful person in the thread was saying. Let's hope the 'decision maker' isn't a idiot.
Also, I think if you have more than 16,000GBP in savings you may not be eligible.
Good luck, I'll keep you posted as to my situation.
Mar 2nd 2012, 9:05 pm
#62
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 862
Re: Benefits in the UK (London)
@MrBritUSA-
I have lived in the Netherlands for 10 years as a teen. I have only ever paid tax in the Netherlands. I am British. I finally got some relevant info from the benefits dept. I move back to the UK at the end of the month, and will share the outcome. Of course I have already applied for jobs from abroad and hope to get working asap- but i'm prepared for the fact that life isn't always like a box of chocolates all of the time. Also i have never claimed benefits in my life, so please no 'scrounger' remarks.
Here is the info I was presented with:
"Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is a benefit for people who are unemployed and looking for full time work. There are two main types of JSA.
Contribution-based JSA (JSA (C)) is paid if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions, whilst income-based JSA (JSA (IB)) is means tested, which means that any income and savings you and your partner (if you have one) have may effect how much you receive.
As you say that you have not paid NI contributions in Great Britain, you will not be eligible to receive JSA(C). However, if you have qualified for unemployment benefit in the Netherlands, you may be able to import that benefit for up to 3 months if you are looking for work in Great Britain. You would need to have made a claim for that benefit in the Netherlands at least 4 weeks before you come to the UK. You will then be issued with a form U2, which is a standard form used by all the countries in the EU to give information about a claimant’s entitlement to exported unemployment benefit. When you arrive in Great Britain, you will need to contact Jobcentre Plus to make an appointment to register to import your benefit. You should bring the U2 with you to that appointment.
If you are not entitled to unemployment benefit in the Netherlands, or you choose not to claim that benefit, then you may still be eligible to receive income-based JSA when you return to the UK. However, in order to be entitled to JSA (IB) you will need to demonstrate that you have a right to reside and are ‘habitually resident’ in Great Britain.
The term ‘habitual residence’ refers to a test of whether a person is normally resident in Great Britain and eligible to benefits. British citizens have an automatic right of residence in the UK , but the test of habitual residence is applied to everyone who applies for JSA (IB) including British Citizens.
As you have lived in the Great Britain in the past and you are resuming your residence you may be able to be treated as habitually resident immediately.
Whether this will apply to you will be considered by a Decision Maker and will depend on the circumstances under which your earlier habitual residence was lost; including the links you maintained with the UK whilst you were abroad and the circumstances of your return to the UK .
As the term ‘habitually resident’ is not defined in benefit regulations and there is no absolute definition or list of factors which determines a person’s habitual residency, a Decision Maker will need to look at your personal circumstances in order to decide whether you are habitually resident. You will generally have to show that you intend to make your home in the UK by, for example, bringing your possessions with you or travelling on a one-way ticket. You must also be actually resident before you become habitually resident. There is no minimum period for which you need to be resident, but the longer you are here the easier it will be to demonstrate that you are habitually resident."
The last sentence seems to be what the unsuccessful person in the thread was saying. Let's hope the 'decision maker' isn't a idiot.
Also, I think if you have more than 16,000GBP in savings you may not be eligible.
Good luck, I'll keep you posted as to my situation.
I have lived in the Netherlands for 10 years as a teen. I have only ever paid tax in the Netherlands. I am British. I finally got some relevant info from the benefits dept. I move back to the UK at the end of the month, and will share the outcome. Of course I have already applied for jobs from abroad and hope to get working asap- but i'm prepared for the fact that life isn't always like a box of chocolates all of the time. Also i have never claimed benefits in my life, so please no 'scrounger' remarks.
Here is the info I was presented with:
"Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is a benefit for people who are unemployed and looking for full time work. There are two main types of JSA.
Contribution-based JSA (JSA (C)) is paid if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions, whilst income-based JSA (JSA (IB)) is means tested, which means that any income and savings you and your partner (if you have one) have may effect how much you receive.
As you say that you have not paid NI contributions in Great Britain, you will not be eligible to receive JSA(C). However, if you have qualified for unemployment benefit in the Netherlands, you may be able to import that benefit for up to 3 months if you are looking for work in Great Britain. You would need to have made a claim for that benefit in the Netherlands at least 4 weeks before you come to the UK. You will then be issued with a form U2, which is a standard form used by all the countries in the EU to give information about a claimant’s entitlement to exported unemployment benefit. When you arrive in Great Britain, you will need to contact Jobcentre Plus to make an appointment to register to import your benefit. You should bring the U2 with you to that appointment.
If you are not entitled to unemployment benefit in the Netherlands, or you choose not to claim that benefit, then you may still be eligible to receive income-based JSA when you return to the UK. However, in order to be entitled to JSA (IB) you will need to demonstrate that you have a right to reside and are ‘habitually resident’ in Great Britain.
The term ‘habitual residence’ refers to a test of whether a person is normally resident in Great Britain and eligible to benefits. British citizens have an automatic right of residence in the UK , but the test of habitual residence is applied to everyone who applies for JSA (IB) including British Citizens.
As you have lived in the Great Britain in the past and you are resuming your residence you may be able to be treated as habitually resident immediately.
Whether this will apply to you will be considered by a Decision Maker and will depend on the circumstances under which your earlier habitual residence was lost; including the links you maintained with the UK whilst you were abroad and the circumstances of your return to the UK .
As the term ‘habitually resident’ is not defined in benefit regulations and there is no absolute definition or list of factors which determines a person’s habitual residency, a Decision Maker will need to look at your personal circumstances in order to decide whether you are habitually resident. You will generally have to show that you intend to make your home in the UK by, for example, bringing your possessions with you or travelling on a one-way ticket. You must also be actually resident before you become habitually resident. There is no minimum period for which you need to be resident, but the longer you are here the easier it will be to demonstrate that you are habitually resident."
The last sentence seems to be what the unsuccessful person in the thread was saying. Let's hope the 'decision maker' isn't a idiot.
Also, I think if you have more than 16,000GBP in savings you may not be eligible.
Good luck, I'll keep you posted as to my situation.
Mar 11th 2012, 5:46 am
#63
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2011
Location: London, England
Posts: 14
Re: Benefits in the UK (London)
@MrBritUSA-
I have lived in the Netherlands for 10 years as a teen. I have only ever paid tax in the Netherlands. I am British. I finally got some relevant info from the benefits dept. I move back to the UK at the end of the month, and will share the outcome. Of course I have already applied for jobs from abroad and hope to get working asap- but i'm prepared for the fact that life isn't always like a box of chocolates all of the time. Also i have never claimed benefits in my life, so please no 'scrounger' remarks.
Here is the info I was presented with:
"Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is a benefit for people who are unemployed and looking for full time work. There are two main types of JSA.
Contribution-based JSA (JSA (C)) is paid if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions, whilst income-based JSA (JSA (IB)) is means tested, which means that any income and savings you and your partner (if you have one) have may effect how much you receive.
As you say that you have not paid NI contributions in Great Britain, you will not be eligible to receive JSA(C). However, if you have qualified for unemployment benefit in the Netherlands, you may be able to import that benefit for up to 3 months if you are looking for work in Great Britain. You would need to have made a claim for that benefit in the Netherlands at least 4 weeks before you come to the UK. You will then be issued with a form U2, which is a standard form used by all the countries in the EU to give information about a claimant’s entitlement to exported unemployment benefit. When you arrive in Great Britain, you will need to contact Jobcentre Plus to make an appointment to register to import your benefit. You should bring the U2 with you to that appointment.
If you are not entitled to unemployment benefit in the Netherlands, or you choose not to claim that benefit, then you may still be eligible to receive income-based JSA when you return to the UK. However, in order to be entitled to JSA (IB) you will need to demonstrate that you have a right to reside and are ‘habitually resident’ in Great Britain.
The term ‘habitual residence’ refers to a test of whether a person is normally resident in Great Britain and eligible to benefits. British citizens have an automatic right of residence in the UK , but the test of habitual residence is applied to everyone who applies for JSA (IB) including British Citizens.
As you have lived in the Great Britain in the past and you are resuming your residence you may be able to be treated as habitually resident immediately.
Whether this will apply to you will be considered by a Decision Maker and will depend on the circumstances under which your earlier habitual residence was lost; including the links you maintained with the UK whilst you were abroad and the circumstances of your return to the UK .
As the term ‘habitually resident’ is not defined in benefit regulations and there is no absolute definition or list of factors which determines a person’s habitual residency, a Decision Maker will need to look at your personal circumstances in order to decide whether you are habitually resident. You will generally have to show that you intend to make your home in the UK by, for example, bringing your possessions with you or travelling on a one-way ticket. You must also be actually resident before you become habitually resident. There is no minimum period for which you need to be resident, but the longer you are here the easier it will be to demonstrate that you are habitually resident."
The last sentence seems to be what the unsuccessful person in the thread was saying. Let's hope the 'decision maker' isn't a idiot.
Also, I think if you have more than 16,000GBP in savings you may not be eligible.
Good luck, I'll keep you posted as to my situation.
I have lived in the Netherlands for 10 years as a teen. I have only ever paid tax in the Netherlands. I am British. I finally got some relevant info from the benefits dept. I move back to the UK at the end of the month, and will share the outcome. Of course I have already applied for jobs from abroad and hope to get working asap- but i'm prepared for the fact that life isn't always like a box of chocolates all of the time. Also i have never claimed benefits in my life, so please no 'scrounger' remarks.
Here is the info I was presented with:
"Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is a benefit for people who are unemployed and looking for full time work. There are two main types of JSA.
Contribution-based JSA (JSA (C)) is paid if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions, whilst income-based JSA (JSA (IB)) is means tested, which means that any income and savings you and your partner (if you have one) have may effect how much you receive.
As you say that you have not paid NI contributions in Great Britain, you will not be eligible to receive JSA(C). However, if you have qualified for unemployment benefit in the Netherlands, you may be able to import that benefit for up to 3 months if you are looking for work in Great Britain. You would need to have made a claim for that benefit in the Netherlands at least 4 weeks before you come to the UK. You will then be issued with a form U2, which is a standard form used by all the countries in the EU to give information about a claimant’s entitlement to exported unemployment benefit. When you arrive in Great Britain, you will need to contact Jobcentre Plus to make an appointment to register to import your benefit. You should bring the U2 with you to that appointment.
If you are not entitled to unemployment benefit in the Netherlands, or you choose not to claim that benefit, then you may still be eligible to receive income-based JSA when you return to the UK. However, in order to be entitled to JSA (IB) you will need to demonstrate that you have a right to reside and are ‘habitually resident’ in Great Britain.
The term ‘habitual residence’ refers to a test of whether a person is normally resident in Great Britain and eligible to benefits. British citizens have an automatic right of residence in the UK , but the test of habitual residence is applied to everyone who applies for JSA (IB) including British Citizens.
As you have lived in the Great Britain in the past and you are resuming your residence you may be able to be treated as habitually resident immediately.
Whether this will apply to you will be considered by a Decision Maker and will depend on the circumstances under which your earlier habitual residence was lost; including the links you maintained with the UK whilst you were abroad and the circumstances of your return to the UK .
As the term ‘habitually resident’ is not defined in benefit regulations and there is no absolute definition or list of factors which determines a person’s habitual residency, a Decision Maker will need to look at your personal circumstances in order to decide whether you are habitually resident. You will generally have to show that you intend to make your home in the UK by, for example, bringing your possessions with you or travelling on a one-way ticket. You must also be actually resident before you become habitually resident. There is no minimum period for which you need to be resident, but the longer you are here the easier it will be to demonstrate that you are habitually resident."
The last sentence seems to be what the unsuccessful person in the thread was saying. Let's hope the 'decision maker' isn't a idiot.
Also, I think if you have more than 16,000GBP in savings you may not be eligible.
Good luck, I'll keep you posted as to my situation.
Great Reply. Thank you for the info. This will certainly help.
Mar 11th 2012, 1:03 pm
#64
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 4,754
Re: Benefits in the UK (London)
@MrBritUSA-
Contribution-based JSA (JSA (C)) is paid if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions, whilst income-based JSA (JSA (IB)) is means tested, which means that any income and savings you and your partner (if you have one) have may effect how much you receive.
Contribution-based JSA (JSA (C)) is paid if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions, whilst income-based JSA (JSA (IB)) is means tested, which means that any income and savings you and your partner (if you have one) have may effect how much you receive.
do not count towards Job Seeker's allowance.
Jun 24th 2012, 10:03 am
#65
Just Joined
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: brighton
Posts: 20
Re: Benefits in the UK (London)
well just to. people know if u coming back ti England. due no fault. of ur and. u want help from the government. beware u can cliam. jsa until 30 days after u sign on if u be outside. of the UK now
Jun 24th 2012, 10:06 am
#66
Just Joined
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: brighton
Posts: 20
Re: Benefits in the UK (London)
never give in i now got. a job and a flat without. the help from the government
Jun 24th 2012, 12:27 pm
#68
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 360
Re: Benefits in the UK (London)
I came back after 25 years and have been awarded JSA, waiting on habitual residency test for housing allowance, its been over a month... so don't know if I will recieve it or not. I wouldn't blame them if they decided not to because I have worked in the US and not here.
Jun 24th 2012, 12:33 pm
#69
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: My happy place
Posts: 3,043
Re: Benefits in the UK (London)
Jun 25th 2012, 1:43 pm
#70
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 2,294
Re: Benefits in the UK (London)
And many people in the UK have worked and never claimed welfare either. The "entitled to" class are getting another shock as more welfare cuts are being announced today, hot on the heels of the welfare changes that are already coming in from this year - too many to list. At last we are going to lose the label of 'Welfare Britain'.
Jun 27th 2012, 8:48 am
#71
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 360
Re: Benefits in the UK (London)
eh? yes I know claiming you feel like a scrounger but sometimes peoples life events make this a blessing. I have worked all my life in US, never claimed a cent from anyone, but due to unforseen cirumstances I needed some help but I do understand the frustration feel about this. When I worked in US people received EBT (food stamps) and it would make me frustrated that they were receiving help and eating better than me!
