Am I entitled to anything?!

barnesfamily_2

Hi all - first time here!
I plan on moving our family back to the UK after living and working in Bulgaria(EU) for 3 years and wondered what benefits we will be entitled to whilst I am looking for work?
I am English and my wife is Bulgarian and we have 3 children - 5, 2 and 3 months. We don't have any savings/property here or in the UK and without family waiting to accommodate us we will need to 'start claiming' practically the moment we get off the plane!!
I have always worked full-time and paid my taxes in the UK and here too so I'm keen to get back to work but until I start earning again we will obviously need some financial support and accommodation.

So where do we start!?....can we do anything from this end? (online etc) to speed up the process?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer us

thorsoak

So you haven't made any NI contributions nor paid tax in the UK for the last three years and now you are coming over to the UK and wish to claim family benefits? Is this correct?

Can't you get a job first and then bring the family over? Cost of living is ower in Bulgaria than it is over here.

Caz3121

you are going to have to pass the Habitual Residence test before you can claim for anything...this is to prove that you are intending on staying in the UK and not just coming here to claim benefits. Google on habitual residence but you are likely to need to have bank accounts and an address in the UK

viktory

It would be extremely foolish - especially with children - to move to a country without a brass farthing and no roof over your heads. I would suggest you save some money (quite a lot, to be honest) and arrange somewhere to live before you leave Bulgaria.

krisskross

You will need the deposit and upfront rent money immediately you land here. This will probably be at least £1000.

You really aren't intending to just fetch up at the UK airport with nowhere to go and no money with 3 small children are you? That sounds more than a tad irresponsible to me.

andyandflo

I can only but imagine what your thoughts are with the responsibility of your wife and three children.

First port of call will be, as has been suggested, possibly have a bank account. You could open one over there in a branch of a UK bank (HSBC).

Secondly, have a look at all of the benefit calculators that are on the web.

Thirdly, contact Shelter telling them you are returning home, with no home, job or money. By turning up at the airport, the UK authorities are required to provide the basics of living.

Think about how other EEC nationals cope when coming over here, see what happens to them, surf the web looking for similar situations and how they have been resolved.

As a UK citizen we have a duty to provide adequte help and support. Have a word with the British Consulate. Are you attached in anyway with a charity or organisation Royal British Legion, does any of your family have medical problems.

It is just a question of doing a lot of research on the web. Having contributed to the UK and lived here in the past, you will not be left to fend for yourself especially with children involved.

If need be, play on the fact that your wife and children will possibly be at risk if help is not offered to solve your problems as well as making sure thay accept that you intend to remain here (not just a holiday). That works wonders!! What you do after that is up to you.

Having children and as young as they are you will find that help will be offered to you - we are not an uncaring country as some may think we are.

Good luck

barnesfamily_2

Thanks for the feedback guys and gals! (shame about the unnecessary condescending undertones but i have learnt to expect that from the great British public!)

So let me respond to you all first to clear up any misunderstandings about our situation and intentions:

My wife and I have spent years working in the UK and never claimed anything from the state so i dont appreciate people assuming that we are showing up like a bunch of refugees looking to scam the benefit system! I am simply enquiring what we are entitled too if we decide to go down that road. I intend to come first and find employment whilst staying in a BnB but this will only be temp agency work until i can find secure, well-paid employment again. I would like to bring my family over asap as my 5yr old is due to start school so i/we will need some support from the state until i am able to be the breadwinner again...

thorsoak:
That is correct although I dont know exactly which benefits we would be entitled to nowadays - hence this thread. Even though the cost of living is lower here the wages are dire and do not match inflation - I have just been made redundant after working full time here and we are now considering our options.

Caz3121:
Thanks for this info - I wasnt aware this test existed so we will look into it. We do not have bank accounts in the UK anymore and are unable to open them without a UK address so its a ridiculous catch 22 situation! We have tried opening a bank account from here and it dosnt seem possible...

viktory
I agree, such action would be foolish and its not what we plan to do. I have just been made redundant here so saving up a lot of cash is not an option.

krisskross
Yes I am aware of the amount of money needed as I have rented flats in the UK for over 20 years ; ) And no i dont intend to show up and make my demands - i would never put my family in such a position.

andyandflo
Many thanks for your sensible and un-biased advice!
We looked into HSBC but this dosnt seem to be possible outside the UK?...
Shelter is an interesting source of info - thanks for the link - but showing up and demanding a council house really is our LAST option!
You mention the Consulate by which I guess you mean the British Embassy? Is that on this side or yours? what am i supposed to be asking exactly?! I had a meeting with the British Ambassador here last year and he was less than helpful when i explained my difficulty to find work here. I am not connected with any charity or Legion and we are all in perfect health.
After living in London for a few years I know how cold and uncaring us Brits can be but after moving 'up North' I found a whole different bunch of caring people - its the same here although the Bulgarians are more supportive in general after having to live with nothing for years and still be cheerful!
I dont intend to play on the children angle as such but yes every little helps - I am just afraid that it will take months to get claims sorted out there etc, and will we wont be able to afford to stay and have to come back here before we end up on the street for example

andyandflo

barnesfamily wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback guys and gals! (shame about the unnecessary condescending undertones but i have learnt to expect that from the great British public!)

So let me respond to you all first to clear up any misunderstandings about our situation and intentions:

My wife and I have spent years working in the UK and never claimed anything from the state so i dont appreciate people assuming that we are showing up like a bunch of refugees looking to scam the benefit system! I am simply enquiring what we are entitled too if we decide to go down that road. I intend to come first and find employment whilst staying in a BnB but this will only be temp agency work until i can find secure, well-paid employment again. I would like to bring my family over asap as my 5yr old is due to start school so i/we will need some support from the state until i am able to be the breadwinner again...

andyandflo
Many thanks for your sensible and un-biased advice!
We looked into HSBC but this dosnt seem to be possible outside the UK?...
Shelter is an interesting source of info - thanks for the link - but showing up and demanding a council house really is our LAST option!
You mention the Consulate by which I guess you mean the British Embassy? Is that on this side or yours? what am i supposed to be asking exactly?! I had a meeting with the British Ambassador here last year and he was less than helpful when i explained my difficulty to find work here. I am not connected with any charity or Legion and we are all in perfect health.
After living in London for a few years I know how cold and uncaring us Brits can be but after moving 'up North' I found a whole different bunch of caring people - its the same here although the Bulgarians are more supportive in general after having to live with nothing for years and still be cheerful!
I dont intend to play on the children angle as such but yes every little helps - I am just afraid that it will take months to get claims sorted out there etc, and will we wont be able to afford to stay and have to come back here before we end up on the street for example

Hi, have a word with the UK embassy there. See if there is any person that could help with the requirements of sorting yourself out when you come back to the UK. I can't believe that they wouldn't have some contact or other. Maybe have a look at the various leaflets issued by the local authorities here as well as the DWP.

Glad you said that about folk 'up North'! I was born and lived in Lancashire for the first 40 years of my life and have spent the last 21 years in Canterbury. Yes I know what you mean, I still can't believe that down here is so different as regards how people look at life and treat others. I have spent the last 10 years in the same house and don't even know the name of one of my next door neighbour. How sad is that?

barnesfamily_2

andyandflo:

Thanks again - i will get in touch with the embassy here but im not getting my hopes up - i think a lot of net research will be more fruitful. How do i see the leaflets you mention? im guessing they have pdf versions on websites - can you give me some direction please?

Anyone else able to offer some advice please? opening bank account from outside the UK? English cities with high employment? lowest cost of living areas? any help would be appreciated