Has anyone done the REMO route for child maintenance?

[Legaldispair]

So my ex husband is suppose to pay child maintenance, paid the minimum for a few years and last year I noticed CMS were using old information to work out what he should pay me as his salary had trebled and they have never recalculated, to cut a long story short I have a hearing soon about this as he continued to dispute it and HE took it to tribunal. THEN on top of that he moved to New York… has always threatened it, and has paid nothing for a year as he ‘doesn’t know what he is supposed to pay as there are no rules’ due to the fact him and myself are both UK citizens. Not even paying a contribution amount and not even bothering to look into it so I have had no choice but to go down the REMO route. Those papers have only just gone off to then as it took 6 months just to get these papers (CMS were dicking around in the mean time and not helping with this) so he owes me aLOT of money in under payments which I know America won’t be interested in and he hasn’t paid me for a year… has anyone actually had any success with the Remo route? I’m slowly running out of any positivity. I can’t afford legal help so I’m on my own.

can anyone share this experiences with me please? Anything I need to know that they don’t tell you etc?

@Sunchi what is the name of your Facebook group? Maybe we could all join?

Yes agree a website. I spoke today with a person at REMO, he even said its not very well known that this service is possible. So much is spoken about Hague convention for child abduction. Even Hague Child Contact is know but Hague Child Maintenance never even knew it existed and was a possible route. It would be good to get a small group of women together to get this off the ground.

@Bluefields Exactly right, when I mention REMO to people, they don't have a clue and talk about CMS instead. I only found out about it by chance many years ago at my local CAB where there was a leaflet. In those days, REMO had produced their own leaflets and had their own website.

@Bluefields My FB group is Get Child Maintenance from Abroad (REMO), but as I mentioned it just hasn't taken off. I also started writing a blog about my experiences and write on LinkedIn.

I've only just started the process in August with MEBC, they were quicker than I expected. Some delays on my end as there is a lot to complete. Some things needed to be sent back to me, to retract, but that was sent quickly and after that it moved through the system reasonably OK. All my forms have been completed and it is now with REMO, checked today, it is out for translation. Next step Belgian Central Authority. I expect it will be delayed at that end. Let's see. I have no child support arrangement, father never lived in the UK, so asking the Belgian courts to put in place a child maintenance order from scratch. He currently pays a nominal arbitrary amount, based on a figure he came up wiry himself. Has refused to engage in providing oversight of his income, so now left with the courts to deal with this.

Good morning everyone

Please can someone provide assistance!

I applied for REMO back in August. They have recently sent back the birth certificate (original copy) and have asked me for further information and a couple of amendments to my application.

Question: will I go back to the end of the waiting list since they have asked me for further information? I am hoping not as looking forward to when my ex finds this out because according to him ‘child maintenance is not enforceable in my country’!!

Many thanks

@UKmama78 I had the same issue recently. You need to amend it and send it back. Insert a brief cover note and explain that you were required to make some amendments and ask them to expedite it. In my case, that is what happened. Also, send MEBC an email explaining what you have done and ask them to confirm when they have received the documents. Follow-up in a few days. You can then give REMO 2 weeks later to see if it is logged in their system and where they are in sending everything to the Central Authority of the other parent country as some translations might be required.

@UKmama78 what country is he in?

America? X

Many many thanks! Sending this off today with the cover letter. Did you have any luck? X

Ah my children's father is in America too. What state?

@UKmama78 yes, I sent it back next day recorded delivery. I received a response 2 days later confirming it was received and was being sent to REMO. REMO confirmed it was received and out for translation. So with any luck it will be with the other patent Central Authority by mid December. I think the hold up will be in the other country. Court proceedings just like in the UK take time, and I expect the father to appeal any decision

Good luck, let's hope all these non paying parents receive a court summons just in time for Xmas

Thanks blue! Please keep my updated on how you get on! I sent mine via special delivery today. Worth every Penny lol xx

NY. What about you?

I had to deal with them when ex was pretending to live in, let's say, France. I had to entertain this charade and go through remo to demonstrate that the French authorities could confirm they had never heard of him and he neither lived in, or was employed in France.

The bloke on the phone insisted it was not a case for REMO, despite my absolute knowledge that it was. He was rude. Had no clue about the rules of his own organisation, and I would have sacked on the spot, were I the person he reported too. I told him I knew the outcome was going to be "we confirm this man is not in France" but had to apply in the normal way to get this outcome in writing.

He was difficult. Gave outright false information and refused to hear differently. Permanently trying to end the call because he was "busy". When I asked who he suggested was the right agency for my case (that was clearly under REMO jurisdiction and I had paperwork from CMS stating this, but he was, for reasons known only to himself, refusing to accept,) he replied "don't really know" and told me he didn't have time to keep going round in circles.

Appalling is my experience. Appalling.

I submitted the paperwork regardless and it was dealt with. But that was on my completely ignoring this buffoon and knowing from my extensive independent research I was right. Had I not known that, I could easily have taken his false statements as truth and thought I couldn't apply. He works in Bury St Edmunds, I could probably dig out a name if you needed it. It was 2020.

@TwinsPlusAnotherOne Thank you so much for this information. I will put it in my portfolio. Tbh, I am not that shocked anymore when it comes to the competence of civil servants, solicitors, judges and government employees. Their level of ignorance in this area is truly amazing and we, women/mothers, could run rings around them.

@Bluefields Thank you so much for your clear feedback. It is good to hear positive things about REMO and your experience is current.

Please, if anyone on here would like to contribute, private message me. I am really keen to hear your experiences so that I can relay them to the All Party Parliamentary Group.

I have been given the opportunity to speak to an ALL Party Parliamentary Group about REMO on Wednesday 6th December. I have been given 7 minutes to talk.

I would be very happy to hear from anyone who would like to give me a summary of their experiences.

For example:

1. How long it took from application to receiving child maintenance
2. Which country you are talking about
3. Did your ex pay willingly, or did it go to enforcement. If so how was it enforced?
4. If you didn't receive any money, why not.
5. Which year did you apply?

About REMO:

1. Communication - what are your thoughts on how they communicate.
2. How can this service be improved?
3. Was your experience positive or negative?
4. Anything else you would like me to say.

Chicago, Illinois

So finally have some answers although the court order was for payments to start on the 20th Oct it still had to be sent over to inland revenue in new zealand for them to collect payments and they have to give 30 days notice for first payment so I'm not looking at any payments till at least January now which is fine however I feel that the knowledge that the remo have on the other countries is lacking I have now spoken on the phone to a case worker in new zealand and have been set up on account so I can see when my ex makes payments to them and what he owes me which is something as I'm no longer in the dark

@Cazza38 Great news! Keep them on their toes by chasing up on a regular basis.

Will do finally feel like a win

@Cazza38 that is wonderful news. Persistent is everything. Every time you receive that payment, you can look back and be reminded that you never gave up, and your knows no matter where he goes he will have to pay.

@Bluefields exactly!