benefits
 

Hi all, I am not sure if I can put this question with out being labeled a racist or bigot but here goes, if I return to the UK will I be eligible to the same benefits/grants as a immigrant from another country. I have heard I will have to wait six months before I can apply for any benefits/grants, does anyone know the rules.
Baz

Re: benifits
 

depends on the benefit, housing and council tax are available from day 1, others may have time rules, disability certainly does unless, of course, you are already receiving it, but even then you may be re assesed as rules have changed. Not sure about employment as we returned as pensioners.

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I know a married couple in their late 50s who recently went back - they expected everything to be handed to them

they are now living with in-laws, and getting 'a few quid' a week

Re: benifits
 

problem for someone of working age returning to the UK is that they will have to jump the hurdle marked "Intentionally unemployed" because at some point you will have had to give up a job, in the uk to go to sp or in sp to go to uk.

then if you have any money, in excess of £8k or £16k dependent on the benefit, which may include an unsold house in sp, you will not be entitled.

may I suggest you have a good read of
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTax...fits/index.htm
and try the online benefits calculator at
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/Do...gory/DG_172666

It seems so easy that peoples from other countries just dump themselves in UK and get £thousands in benefits and support. It isnt always like that, but then they may be seen to have less than you.

sri can't help much further
rgds

Re: benifits
 

Whilst I agree and think this is the right thing, I know of many who have gone back, kept their property in Spain as a holiday home and have claimed all the benefits they can get.

One particular couple still use their Spanish home for multiple holidays yet are able to claim every benefit possible in UK!!! They also rent out their Spanish property when they can!!! Grrrrrrr!

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That is because they have not told the truth...it is benefit fraud:thumbdown:

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I have understood they don't count the value of the property you use as your primary residence but do count any additional property. Or not if you don't tell them about it.

with the collapsible walls between govt depts nowadays they are able to make links between different claims.
when working in that area last year I found that local council tax depts have been known to carry out check against the electoral roll when people are claiming the single persons credit for CT.

I know of one "couple" who officially live apart, he has his name on the ER at another place on the other side of town, but they live together as man and wife 24/7. That way she gets the single parent benefits and they have a good living with his earnings.

many people are not on the Electoral Roll as a consequence of the Poll Tax, as it was seen as a way to check how many adults were living in a property.
I know that may be mis-use of the ER but it can and does happen as the ER is publically available.

presumably retaining a property in SP is a good example of tax evasion rather than tax avoidance. But its not in the uk guv !

Re: benifits
 

No one here has a comprehensive knowledge of the benefit system in the UK at this time and it is impossible to generalise as each persons circumstances are different as to your eligibility.
Why don't you phone the DWP or go online and get it from those who know directly?
You could also speak to them about any concerns you have regarding immigrant claimants.

Re: benefits
 

What about "DWPinSpain" - he should know if anyone does:confused:

Re: benefits
 

Yes he does but I doubt that checking this forum is high on his priorities!

Re: benifits
 

From what I've heard, and everybody seems to be talking about it around here, nobody tells the absolute truth when applying, or even anywhere near it.

I know of people running businesses here in Spain and they're in receipt of all sorts of allowances from the UK, and have even brought their free 'mobility' cars over from England, one's got a seven-seater with which he does airport runs.

Re: benifits
 

Healthcare you can have straight away, just register with a Dr.

As regards means-tested Benefits, you will have to pass the Habitual Tesidency Test( the same as anyone else who has lived out of the country). You will need to demonstrate that you have come to the UK to live for the forseeable future. This can be proved by showing a rental/mortgage agreement, having a job offer, signing on to the electoral roll, opening a bank account etc. Basically you have to be able to show that you have not just come to the UK IN ORDER TO claim Benefits.

It is possible, although unusual, for a returning Brit to fail the HRT. In this case you WILL have to wait six months for means-tested Benefits.

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It is possible quite legitimately to claim certain sickness/disability Benefits whilst living in the EU (although not mobility allowance).

Re: benifits
 

If anyone knows of Benefit Fraud here please report it to the DWP fraud line.
However, be sure to have your facts right as it may cause a heap of misery if incorrect.
Likewise report those if you know of anyone working and not declaring income for tax evasion ;)

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Seems as if it will be a free for all anyway.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15120522

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We all know these nice people are only coming to the UK for the lovely weather currently being experienced (well in the mid and southern half).
I think it is a slur on their integrity to call them "economic migrants" or "benefit tourists"

ISTR admitted reports that when the Poles came flooding into the UK to work they were allowed to claim child benefit and other allowances for wives and children back in Poland. There was no requirement for them to move to the uk. Then there's all those who have to "visit relatives" in the Uk when they know they have a medical problem - such as the wealthy Nigerian woman having a multiple birth that has cost the NHS around £500k.

If the UK's benefits system is being used as a defacto default line then surely all other EU countries should be forced to step to that line. Or maintain UK Nationals in the manner to which they have become acccustomed.
As If !!

(sits back and awaits the flak)

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Not exactly fair when there are 50,000 Spaniards living in the UK and up to 1 million Brits in Spain (although officially only 350,000). If Spanish benefits were as good as the UK, then I think half of the UK would end up in Spain :)

If you think benefits in Britain are too generous then lobby your MP or vote for a party who will abolish a lot of them. It is a democracy after all

Re: benifits
 

It is the system that is at fault.
As with most things in life it is a small minority that spoil it for the rest.
Life in the UK is not like the Jeremy Kyle show at all. Most on benefits are grateful for the support at a time when they are struggling and are far from living the life of Riley.
There are 2,000,000 unemployed and 500,000 job vacancies, whose fault is that?

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I have nothing against UK benefits but I am amazed about how much people moan about them

Maybe it is because the odd story about a recent immigrant on benefits is an easy story for nasty newspapers. I suggest people stop reading them and concentrate on something more positive

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like posting on BE ??

do you realise how much money is earned by people who specialise in helping iimmigrants to obtain the maximum possible out of "the system", who represent them in court funded out of public funds, who make a living out of becoming lifetime experts on the provision of services, multicultural expectations, translated literature in 12 languages. Most of whom are lost when asked the rights of the indigenous minority and start the conversation as to what an immigrant is entitled to.
Met them, worked with (and against) them.
There is a whole sub-culture out there supporting this that is not open to a UK citizen.
We could get rid of the whole lot of the them and save £millions - but they would then be entitled to JSA .;)

many people moan about UK benefits because they can't get them, but when they are told their daughter with young child has to stay living in the box room because all other accommodation has been allocated to immigrants who are coming to the city............:curse:


enjoy

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I agree it is frustrating, but maybe those people are homeless, whereas your daughter is not.

I'm not saying it is fair how they allocate, but they do it based on need and if you have a roof over your head you are not as much in need as someone with nowhere.

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Or what about when your daughter cant buy a house because immigrants have come in and pushed up the price of housing in your local area?

You cant moan about one without the other. Maybe you should kick yourself out of Granada and give your house up to a needy "indigenous" young person?

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perhaps you are right, after all we have been renting now for over 2 years, keeping local accommodation from local people, the BH is fully employed under Spanish contract doing a job that could be filled by a local person.
(in a country having over 500,000 empty\incomplete properties)

we took our dog out to Spain but that was totally wrong as there are plenty of Spanish dogs that we could have given a home to.

We shop in Spanish shops taking the food away from the locals, when really we should be shopping in shops that import expensive English products

We buy our bottled water from Spanish sources, taking the sustenance from poor locals when we should be importing our own.

We buy our petrol from Spanish filling stations, when really we should be importing our own rather than using up the supplies poor Spanish people could be using.

We have our telephone\broadband from a Spanish provider, taking bandwidth from Spanish locals who desperately need it.

We used a Spanish gestor, taking up valuable time that would have been better spent on advising a Spanish local - after all there are English legal people just 80k down the road in Malaga.

perhaps I may be able to put up a tent on the beach near Matagorda, although I must make sure I don't take up space that could be used by a Moroc or Spaniard who would be more needy than myself.

my Uk home is on the market but the only offers have been Asian buy-to-let operators wishing to add to their portfolio's at 30% discount at what is already a good price. Perhaps I should sell to one of them because they are more needy than I am.
(any idea why the biggest growth in new mortgages is for buy-to-let properties ???)

how many poor Spaniards you are denying accommodation, food, water and other services.

So please remind me why you are so sanctimonious ? ?

Re: benifits
 

:rofl:

You don't get it do you? I was using a similarly rediculous argument to try and get you to see how rediculous your point is.

I am for open borders as I am grateful that I was able to choose to live in Spain. While here I've made the most of the private and government services. If people want to risk life and limb to live in Spain or the UK, then that is up to them.

You can't blame people for actually complying with the UK benefits procedures. If the law is an ass then get it changed!

Re: benifits
 

I am not blaming people for actually complying with the UK Benefits procedures, I am blaming people from outside the UK trying to force the UK to extend those benefits to people who do not have what would appear to be any right, whilst behind them are countries doing exactly the same thing.

One of the most common statements on this forum is
"In Spain if you don't pay in you can't get out" (or similar)
but seems rather one sided to me.

For your information I will repeat what I said
"If the UK's benefits system is being used as a defacto default line then surely all other EU countries should be forced to step to that line. Or maintain UK Nationals in the manner to which they have become acccustomed.
As If !!"

anyway, I will add you to my Christmas List, as you are so desititute you cannot afford a dictionary, even the one that comes with this site...

Re: benifits
 

Are they? The rules are very straight forward. You have to give EU nationals what UK nationals are entitled to. Same in Spain, you have to give EU nationals what Spanish nationals are entitled to.

Seems very fair and straight forward to me. Lobby the UK to pull out of the EU if you like, but then you'd probably have to cut short your time in Spain.

It's funny how people always pull up the odd typo. I shouldnt really use this site as much as I do as I cant afford the time, so I compromise on the spell checks :)

Re: benifits
 

Our benefit system in the UK has been skewed for many years; it is riddled with unfairness and wide open to benefit cheats. We've got the gippos at Basildon, the Muslims with five wives and Poles galore sending their child benefit home to their children in Poland.

Along with that we've got our own, expert benefit cheats, millions of them, born and bred in the UK.

There are so many claimants that no political party can take them on; if they declared their intention to stop the majority of benefits, they would never get elected. Blair got re=elected twice by increasing benefits, it's a vote winner.

Today, they've started sacking our sailors. I would have preferred if they'd sent the gippos back to Ireland, but I'm a lone voice in the wilderness.

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Yeah clever move, make trouble and enemies all over the world then leave yourself wide open. You couldn't make it up what this lot are doing.

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The old saying that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel should perhaps be changed by replacing pedantism for patriotism.;)
Still some people are incapable of understanding the obvious.

Graham

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Ah but the politicians still believe the world loves us.

Graham

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Sadly we tend to only hear of people living the high life on benefits, those on the fiddle and not the true reality of many thousands in the UK living below the poverty line, living hand to mouth so to speak, undernourished pensioners etc families who can't afford to heat their home...thats the reality of living on state benefits in the UK; its not all plasma TV's and mobility cars.

Re: benifits
 

but at least there are benefits in the UK.............there is virtually nothing as far as benefits are concerned in Spain

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There is no need for Pensioners to be in poverty in the UK. If they are entitled to Pension Credit (which makes up your income to £137 a week if you are single and £210 a week if you are a couple) then their rent and Council Tax will also be paid.

So EVERY pensioner is entitled to an income of at least this amount. Even if their income is over this amount, they may still be entitled to some rent and Council Tax Benefit.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensions...it/DG_10018692

Winte Fuel Allowance is £200 a year for most families, more if the person is over 80.

Also many infirm elderlies are entitled to Attendance Allowance of at least £49 a week on top of other income.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTax...le/DG_10012442

Also some of the Utiltity companies do special tarrifs for Pensioners and other people on certain Benefits.

So the 'heating or eating' thing is just not necessary. There is the wherewithal to do both.

I understand that some people may not claim all they are entitled to, but the Benefits ARE there.

(However, it must be hard for those who find themselves unemployed to manage on Jobseekers' Allowance, even WITH the rent/ mortgage relief and Council Tax Benefits).

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All true but not enough even when claimed in full. You may read about it but I have to deal with it as I do voluntary work for Help The Aged when I'm in the UK. Theory does often not match reality. We are lucky in the UK with the pension and benefits available but please don't think you live high off the hog off them alone, you don't.

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I didn't think you could live the life of Reilly. I said there was no need to chose between heating and eating.

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Those who do not qulaify for benefits fall into the poverty trap, e.g. £140 a week is not a lot after rent, poll tax et al.

You might find this interesting? > http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013y0nz

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I'm afraid that in the real world you are wrong, it is sometimes down to picking heating or food, I've seen this many times:( It should not happen but sadly it can.

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A timely reminder? I think so. Getting the balance right must be the most difficult thing in the world. Balancing the Mail with the Guardian and the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

I can watch an appeal to send a couple of pounds a month to help a starving African child with tears in my eyes, and get angry a few minutes later when I see that guy with the pony tail who has rented out his house in the UK for which he gets housing benefit sipping his brandy at nine o'clock in the morning before picking up people from the airport in his free mobility car with yellow number plates.

He gets a £180 a week because he suffers from depression and hasn't worked for 20 years.

An isolated example? I wish it was. And there's that fat woman on disability because she's fat . . . .

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I don't understand what you are saying? Are you saying most folk fiddle the benefit system? Live a high life? Trash publications like the Mail highlight the benefit abusers, takes the focus off the real issue of people living on the poverty line in the UK. As for the chap who rented out his house, report him.

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I can only tell it as it is, and I would never grass on anyone, it's against the rules, my rules.

You raise a point I've not really considered before - do most folk fiddle the system?

I don't know the answer, I've lived in too rarefied a bubble as an expat for many years. All I can say is that the ones I know here in Spain, do.