I am 63 years old and have lived in Canada for almost 50 years but my heart still belongs in Scotland. I was 14 when I came here so did not pay into the pension plan. Does anybody know what I would qualify for as a pensioner if I moved back.

Have you paid into a Canadian pension and do you have any savings? Whether you would be eligible for UK benefits may be dependent on these things. Normally, if you have not paid UK national insurance you are not eligible for a UK state pension. However, if you are coming back essentially broke and with no other pension, you would be eligible for certain state welfare benefits.

I will receive Canada pension and old age pension when I turn 65 but by the time it is converted im not sure if I would have enough to live on so I think I would require some assistance in the way of housing, do you know if that would be available to me.

http://www.entitledto.co.uk/calculat...campaign=GovUK

There is a lot of information on the internet about who is entitled to benefits in the UK. I have pasted one site below [actually, it's at the top - copying and pasting with this tablet is a nightmare].

, but just by typing basic questions in Google, you should be able to find lots more.

I think there may be a test of residence in the UK involved, but I am not entrely sure of the details. In the meantime the sites such as those I just described can tell you what UK residents are entitled to.

I would wait until the outcome of the Scottish Independence Referendum in September before deciding if I were you, although you could always opt to live in England/Wales etc regardless on a UK passport.

How will the Scots have a UK passport if they cease to be a member of the UK?

Their leaving the UK will mean their leaving of the EU, the EU have made that clear. That will stop Scots using the EU freedom of movement rights to live and work in other EU countries. Spain will always veto any attempt Scotland makes to join the EU and the EU have already made it clear to Scotland that all EU countries have to agree to allow a country to join.

As they will no longer be a member of the EU and won't be able to join the EU, I assume that the Scottish government would then have to try to work something out with the UK government if they want Scots to be able to work/live in the UK? Or work out a deal with other EU countries as a separate agreement?


Perhaps more relevant to those relying on benefits, is to be aware of the capping of the UK's annual welfare budget that has just been approved in parliament by all the political parties. The welfare bill has been growing at an alarming rate and it's a bill the UK taxpayer doesn't have the money (or the appetite) to keep funding.

The welfare bill has been cappped at it's present annual amount, which will mean that there will be benefit reductions to keep to the welfare cap. Only the UK State Pension (to be £135 per week) and Jobseeker's Allowance (£71 per week) amounts will be protected and both of these have already had the rules changed so that many who hoped to claim them, will now not be able to (the new rules will not affect those who have contributed to the UK). Even though the JSA amount is protected, the potential is still there for future governments to restrict those who can claim JSA.

The independence white paper explains the plan for passports and citizenship. Essentially, residents of Scotland will be able to keep their UK passport and have a Scottish passport. Scottish-born people living outside of Scotland will have the same eligibility. This will continue ad nauseum until such time as a person born in Scotland does not have Scottish parents (or something like that).

People living in Scotland will not cease to be UK citizens after Independence, they will have dual nationality.

Bit unfair.

Unfair to the rest of the UK but I can understand why the Scots have had to ask if they can be our cling-ons I wonder what they had to give to get that? They keep asking to use our currency too, but they don't seem to be offering enough to the UK yet to be allowed that.

I was just wondering about the welfare cap being based on the present UK welfare spending. With Scotland gone, does that mean we can then reduce our welfare cap by the billions Scotland needs for welfare payments, to just the present welfare spending in England, NI and Wales?

I'm not surpised that the Scots have had to ask if they can be our cling-ons. I wonder what they had to give to get that?

The Scots keep asking to use our currency too but they will have to broker a big deal to get that as companies are already planning to move away from Scotland if they are forced to start their own currency. A small new country with it's it's own new currency and no support from the EU, is a big risk for business.

I was just wondering about the welfare cap being based on the present UK welfare spending. With Scotland gone, does that mean we can then reduce our welfare cap by the billions Scotland needs for welfare payments, to just the present welfare spending in England, NI and Wales? We know that the EU will insist that UK registered companies will have to relocate to the UK from Scotland, so that should be an arguement for reducing the UK's annual welfare budget too.

The removal of the Barnett formula conditions would mean that either the per capita spend in the rUK would decrease on average compared to the UK (but level of tax-funded services would remain unchanged in rUK), or that rUK would stay at the same per capita spend as we currently have for the UK, but this would mean a HIGHER level of tax-funded services in the rUK).

Assuming tax revenues remain similar, of course.

That would depend if Labour would ever get back into the UK with the Scots MPs gone.

Labour have done a lot to import voters over the last decade and Unite (Labour's their biggest union financial backer) is in Romania telling people how to claim benefits in the UK. But have Labour done enough to import voters to England, NI and Wales over the last decade and a bit?

I haven't read the white paper or other discussion about citizenship if Scotland were to become independent. It seems fairly clear that a British Citizen who lives in Scotland could keep their British citizenship, and also acquire Scottish citizenship.

But what about a British citizen like me, I have no connection with Scotland (except that my father served in a Scottish regiment from 1937 to 1947). I do not currently live in Scotland or anywhere else in the UK. Say Scotland became independent, could I subsequently settle in Scotland on the strength of my British citizenship, and eventually acquire Scottish citizenship?

It's only people (like me) who are already habitually resident in Scotland who will automatically have Scottish citizenship. Text from the white paper below:

"At the point of independence, this Government proposes an
inclusive model of citizenship for people whether or not they
define themselves as primarily or exclusively Scottish or wish
to become a Scottish passport holder. People in Scotland are
accustomed to multiple identities, be they national, regional,
ethnic, linguistic or religious, and a commitment to a multicultural
Scotland will be a cornerstone of the nation on
independence.

We plan that British citizens habitually resident* in Scotland
on independence will be considered Scottish citizens. This will
include British citizens who hold dual citizenship with another
country. Scottish born British citizens currently living outside
of Scotland will also be considered Scottish citizens.

Following independence, other people will be able to apply
for Scottish citizenship. For example, citizenship by descent
will be available to those who have a parent or grandparent
who qualifies for Scottish citizenship. Those who have a
demonstrable connection to Scotland and have spent at least
ten years living here at some stage, whether as a child or an
adult, will also have the opportunity to apply for citizenship.
Migrants on qualifying visas will also have the option of applying
for naturalisation as a Scottish citizen.

The UK allows dual or multiple citizenship for British citizens.
If a British citizen acquires citizenship and a passport of another
country, this does not affect their British citizenship, right to
hold a British passport or right to live in the UK. The Scottish
Government will also allow dual citizenship. It will be for the
rest of the UK to decide whether it allows dual UK/Scottish
citizenship, but we expect the normal rules to extend to
Scottish citizens."

* I think the plan is to define habitually resident using a window of 6 years.

[There is more detail about citizenship than this in the 670 pages of the white paper as you can imagine, but this is the gist]

http://www.scotreferendum.com/questi...h-citizenship/

"It will be for the rest of the UK to decide whether it allows dual UK/Scottish citizenship"