I have let my British passport run out as been living in OZ last 12 years.How do I stand if I return to UK,hopefully get work asap but if not am entilled to any payments from goverment??

The lack of a passport shouldn't affect entitlement to benefits - there are plenty of people on benefits who have never had a passport.

There are stacks of threads on entitlement to benefits - if you run an Advanced Search for "benefits" on the MBTTUK forum that should pull up most of them.

Regarding getting benefits in the Uk.

Likely to be told need to prove your an ordinary resident in the UK.
Ideally need to be in UK for at least three months before you are even considered.

If you have kids, it helps getting them into a school, registering with a GP, getting a car etc. It shows that you are settling and committed to staying there.
If you are a refugee, you will get immediate government assistance. If your white and British, then that is not the case.

If you need to seek housing there then carry on reading.
A friend of ours left OZ due to domestic violence. She is a single mum with two children under five. Housing told her to come back in three months, then she may be considered. When she said she would be on the streets then, she was told social services would take her children until she got accommodation.
The housing charity shelter, recommend that you seek professional advise from their specialist team.



Good luck.

Get a new British passport before you return. Or a Right of Abode stamp in your Australian passport.

Hi

I know this isn't the same thing but it might be of some relevence. I stayed in Australia for 9 months and during that time my UK passport ran out. I had no problems renewing it - all I had to do was fill in the forms and provide signed proof of my identity. When you apply for benefits they often ask for birth certificate to prove UK born and a second piece of identification. This doesn't have to be a UK passport but to be honest, even if you have an Australian passport I would say it was worth applying for a UK passport before you move here.

If you do not find work immediately, you should be entitled to benefits - check out the UK government benefit website (directgov.uk). You may need to be here some time before you are eligible so make sure you have a financial buffer to see you through this period. Even if you are entitled to benefits from the start they can take weeks to get set up and come through.

Make sure you bring all your paperwork - proof of any earnings where you are now, tax paid, etc as you will almost certainly need to produce these at some stage once you are here.

Good LUCK!

Fiona