steph0scope

Paying tax has nothing to do with it. The NHS is based on residency. Non-taxpayers who live in the UK (children, the unwaged, etc) are eligible to use it. Non-residents, whether they pay tax or not, are not.


Citizenship and residency are two completely different things.

robin1234

Is this actually true? Couldn’t there be grey areas and conflicts here, between the different jurisdictions?

Resident Alien

Thanks everyone. This is all very useful information.

One more question, how long do I have to have left the U.K. to lose my “resident” classification? I’m surprised my company lawyers never told me all this when I transferred, and suspect it may be as transfers are usually for 2-3 years, during which period, perhaps I do not lose my UK “resident” status from a NHS/driving license etc perspective. Not talking about Tax in this instance.

I think I read in a few places that it’s 3 or 5 years away as a U.K. citizen before I lose my “resident” status?

TexanScot

[QUOTE=steph0scope;12808695]Paying tax has nothing to do with it. The NHS is based on residency. [quote]

This is true.

This is true.

This is NOT true.

Bona-fide emergency treatment is free on the NHS for everyone, regardless of residency status.

In addition, it's still possible to be eligible for free routine treatment on the NHS depending on whereabouts in the UK you last lived, and how long it's been since you left.

I'm resident in the US and I'm still eligible for free NHS treatment, and will be for another few years. It's an aspect of the charging regulations that I don't personally agree with, but my personal feelings on the matter are neither here nor there.

LouisB

it is. I have Uk property also and several U.K. addresses but because I’m not resident there, UK license cannot be issued, renewed etc. If it cannot be issued it is not (no longer) valid.
get a US license ASAP and use that in the U.K., from that get US issued international driving permit if needed. Good news is US test is ridiculously quick and easy. In NYC you do also have to do the mandatory training material.
That is the only correct and valid (legal) way. Probably best to do that in case you have an accident and the insurance goes bad, or any run in with the law.

Resident Alien

[QUOTE=TexanScot;12808734][QUOTE=steph0scope;12808695]Paying tax has nothing to do with it. The NHS is based on residency. thanks for your input. What is making you still eligible for a few more years out of curiosity?

spouse of scouse

In what way do you mean eligible for free NHS treatment? If you returned to live, certainly, but are you saying that you could just pop back to the UK for (for example) surgery, consultant appointments or cancer treatment, and then return home to the US? I'm not doubting you, just curious, it may be different rules for the part of the UK you come from.

christmasoompa

My understanding is that the rules for those who lived in Scotland are different, I'm guessing from TexanScot's username that's the case for them. But it's not really relevant for the OP, who has moved from England.

spouse of scouse

Ah, gotcha. Thanks CO. Yes, completely different ball game in England.

TexanScot

Correct.

There is no single "NHS" for the UK, and the charging regulations are different throughout the UK.

I didn't see it mentioned in their post that they were specifically from England, but a blanket statement on eligibility wouldn't be accurate either way.

Rete

The same with Canada. Hubby still pays Canadian taxes on his pension annually but cannot use his Ontario healthcare as he is not a resident of Ontario and/or Canada. Being a Canadian citizen or a Canadian taxpayer counts for nothing.

TexanScot

Yep, that's exactly what the charging regulations in Scotland permit, for a period of five years from departure I believe.

I'm not sure that the regulations were ever intended to allow long-term non-residents to pop back whenever for routine treatment, but then again successive administrations have always been free to amend the regulations if they wanted to do so...

spouse of scouse

Hey, we all work with the rules we're given and if that's the deal in Scotland then good luck to you

TexanScot

Out of interest, are there any rules or exclusion periods on re-establishing residency if a Canadian wanted to move back to Ontario for the express purposes of obtaining healthcare?

When does Ontario consider someone to be a resident?

christmasoompa

3 months.

"There may be a three-month waiting period for your OHIP coverage. Generally speaking, if you are a newcomer to Ontario, or a former resident returning here to live after being out of the country for more than seven months, the waiting period begins on the date you establish or re-establish residence in Ontario. You may also be required to be present in Ontario for 153 days of the first 183 days immediately following the date residence is established in Ontario (you cannot be absent for more than 30 days during the first 6 months of residence)."

HTH.