To think life in England must be much easier

[Heatethelastwaffle]

I’m British but live abroad.
We are struggling a lot financially at the moment, life is hard, although the sun shines.
Where we are, if you fall into a hole, you’re pretty much screwed. Benefits exist, but you have to be very much on the breadline and even then it’s not enough to survive. There is a national health service, but it’s not great, so I’m having to pay out of my own money for private consultations. I have a chronic illness but no benefits whatsoever exist, my Dd is potentially suffering from Pans/pandas, they haven’t heard of it where we are, I’ve been to three separate Drs who had no idea what I’m talking about, There’s no help with rent, with housing, with bills and so on if you fall on hard times.

I want to go home, it may be depressing in some ways in England but you’re secure.

I totally understand where you are coming with this. I have lived in other countries and life here is so much easier in so many ways. I wouldn’t choose to leave the UK.

How long have you lived there? Have you looked into moving back? My friend moved to Australia and wants to move home but is finding it a bit challenging citizenship wise. I had no idea she couldn't just hop on a plane home. Sounds like it would be a good idea to look into it and know your options. Get practical advice as a positive way forward.

Then come home.

But a third of kids in the UK live in absolute policy, at my GP surgery the wait is 6 weeks to see a GP and last year 268 people died every week due to delays in A and E.

@Lovesgreen Is she British? Problems coming back, why? I’ve been abroad a long time

Just to warn you that you haven't a hope in hell of getting decent treatment for PANS/PANDAS in the UK. It cost us an absolute fortune in different private treatments.

You’re looking at this through rose tinted glasses.

There’s barely any home help here. We don’t have enough affordable housing, and rents have shot up, with associated benefits not rising alongside.

You won’t get NHS treatment for PANS/PANDA, and there won’t be help with any private medical expenses.

The standard monthly allowance on benefits for a couple over 25 is £617.60. You can get more for children, disabilities, housing, childcare; but it’s all reduced by how much you earn. I have no idea how you’d live off that.

Genuinely I live in fear of ever needing benefits, I’d have to default on my mortgage, I don’t know how I’d be able to afford to eat, heat my home and get to work…

Whereabouts are you?

Surely she can move back any time?

Or do you mean a husband and children who aren't from the UK?

No, she is an English national but not a citizen and there's a process to follow. It's not as easy as jumping on a plane. She has been advised the process could take over a year. She has sold her house and in a complete state of limbo. Very stressful. No partner or children involved. She emigrated about 15 years ago.

Benefits do exist here and I do appreciate it is genuinely better than some countries, but it is far, far from being secure
If you're privately renting in benefits the amount you have to top up to pay your rent may well leave you unable to afford to eat or use heating
If you're 'lucky ' enough to get social housing you may find you're stuck living in a home that is worsens your health (eg damp) and that if you are able to work that your home would be unaffordable if you worked full time, because minimum wage compared to rent is cost is so low.

You've not lived in the UK for years . Not paid into the system. You want to come back to claim benefits. Cheek of it.

Does that mean she lived in England but came from somewhere else before that?

I know years back quite a number of countries wouldn’t allow dual citizenship therefore expats would need to renounce their British citizenship before being granted citizenship there. It’s not straightforward coming back and you have to go through a fairly long expensive process to regain citizenship. My brother is going through this atm.

Op there’s no shame in returning if things haven’t worked out as well as you’d have hoped. But in all honesty life here isn’t any better. Your children will likely have better long term prospects abroad than here.

I don't think you can just go back to the UK and start claiming benefits or even use the NHS . You need to pay into the system and you haven't. I'm sure it's a very difficult situation but you can't expect the British public to prop you up if you haven't contributed with NI contributions

Whereabouts are you living OP? And I'm sorry to tell you things are pretty broken in the UK.

She was born in England and emigrated as an adult. But there is a process to follow to move back. Its not just a given.

@Lilysgoneshopping "Unless you arrive at Dover in a dingy of course"

Where you will be blessed with:

• hostel living, possibly on a docked ship in a cabin room smaller than a prison cell
• a prohibition on being able to work and earn money
• massive delays in being able to claim asylum and gain any kind of legal right to live and work in this country
• a grand sum of £49.18 per week to fulfil all of your basic needs like food, hygiene products, clothing....

This doesn't make any sense. If someone is born in the UK, they would normally be a British citizen.

There are a few exceptions, e.g. if the parents were foreigners on visas that do not entitle them to pass on citizenship. However, if your friend grew up in the UK, I think she would have qualified for citizenship at some point.

The British public already props up many that haven’t paid NI contributions or tax. 1 more won’t make a difference.

I never knew that! I genuinely thought you could always go back to the country of your birth.

The docked barge was good enough for the oil riggers

@Gillypie23 What are you talking about? Im
not saying I’d come back to claim benefits! I never have in my life, I was comparing the situation to where I am if something happens to you, which it is where we are and we’re suffering badly, but thank you for your kind and helpful comment

I have never heard of PANS or PANDA...Will Google.