EU(Norway) or UK pension?

sevenhills

Asking for a friend, so not ideal.


My UK born friend is married to a Norwegian they live in West Yorkshire she’s been here twenty four years. As it stands they can both retire to Norway under EU rules. Just wondering if there is any contingency for the future deals that you know of that will allow us to retire in Norway. I know they can go under non EU rules but as I understand his wife would have to prove she could support him with a minimum income of 22k He is not sure wether her pension will meet that given the changes in NHS pensions. He has already retired and has a police pension.

drumtochty

To be honest here this is a complex case and it is up to your friends to take this up with both the UK and Norweigan authorities, not something that can be advised on via second hand information that could be wide of the mark.

hyubh

sevenhills wrote: »

My UK born friend is married to a Norwegian they live in West Yorkshire she’s been here twenty four years. As it stands they can both retire to Norway under EU rules.

EEA rules...? Norway isn't in the EU.

Just wondering if there is any contingency for the future deals that you know of that will allow us to retire in Norway.

Whether you/your friend can retire in Norway is surely more a matter for the Norwegian government than the UK one.

I know they can go under non EU rules but as I understand his wife would have to prove she could support him with a minimum income of 22k He is not sure wether her pension will meet that given the changes in NHS pensions.

What changes in NHS pensions are you referring to? It remains a generous DB scheme, and CARE basis, if anything, makes things more clear-cut.

He has already retired and has a police pension.

So already self-supporting? Why does he need his wife's pension as well to prove financial independence...? Unless the wife is a senior manager, I'd assume his pension is bigger than her's.

nigelbb

The UK leaves the EU at 23:00 GMT tonight 31st January but the transition period lasts until 31st December 2020 when basically most current rules apply. Your friends have until the end of this transition period to exercise current EU/EEA freedom of movement. In that case as economically inactive retirees they only have to demonstrate they will not be a burden on the state & have comprehensive healthcare insurance. The minimum required income cannot be more than social security benefit level. For a Brit exercising freedom of movement & resident in the EEA/EU by 31st December the Withdrawal Agreement provides lifetime guarantees concerning residence, healthcare, pension uprating etc

If they miss the 31st December then possibly he will be in the same situation as other Third Country Nationals seeking residence with a requirement for significantly higher income although this would be joint income although I'm not sure why you think she would have to support him. As they are married I would have thought that they could claim residence on that basis. Is there any possibility of him claiming Norwegian nationality as the spouse of a Norwegian?

If the Norwegian spouse has lived in the UK for 24 years then they should apply for permanent residence under the EU Settled Status scheme as if they do retire to Norway but their plans change later they can be absent from the UK for up to 5 years without losing their right of residence.