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Original poster

Homeless, pregnant and not 'British Citizen'

185 replies

valencia88 · 14/08/2018 17:30

Hello,

I have been here for 9 years, working most of the time, but apparently thet cant find evidence to support this so I can not apply for any help or income support but JSA Contribution for 6 months.

I have been kicked out of my flatshare, cause babies arent allowed, I'm due in 3 months - what rights do I have?

I have already been down this road of collecting a hundred millions different documents p45, p60s to show how much tax I have paid over the years, but to no avail.

I am NOT with the dad who is a British Citizen. I am staying in a woman's living room I met through church and I need to leave her and her house alone but cannot get a job as no one wants to employ a pregnant woman.

I have a swedish passport so I have the right to live here but nothing else. What happens when my daughter comes, will I still be homeless? The council is saying they cannot provide me with housing unless I have an "INCOME" and contribution ESA/JSA does not count.

I honestly have NO idea what to do.

OP posts:
HarshingMyMellow · 14/08/2018 19:34

The council will have a responsibility to look after the baby, but maybe not a duty to you.

This could result in your child being taken into care.

Go back to Sweden, honestly. The last thing you want is a shitstorm occurring and you having no legal leg to stand on.

Clairetree1 · 14/08/2018 19:34

Do you have a national insurance number?

If you don't, then you have been paying emergency tax all the time you have been working here, and no, it won't be linked to your national insurance number.

You should have applied for one when you started working

It might be that you can apply now, and claim tax back, that might help you get together a deposit for a flat

JustAnotherNameChangeObviously · 14/08/2018 19:34

Try section 17 of the Children's Act for information about your council's statutory duty towards your child.

BUT... knowing the legislation means nothing. You need proper advice from your embassy and from somewhere like Citizen's Advice.

LeftRightCentre · 14/08/2018 19:35

How can they rescind your Swedish nationality? With Brexit about to crash, I would get out of here and go back to Sweden.

MynameisJune · 14/08/2018 19:38

What happened to your last job? When and why did you leave?

Clairetree1 · 14/08/2018 19:39

another possibility is looking into a nannying job, some offer a reduced wage to bring your own baby

Clairetree1 · 14/08/2018 19:40

do you have any child care experience?

TheVanguardSix · 14/08/2018 19:40

So you are no longer a Swedish citizen and you’re not a British citizen.
I would go back to where my family base is. Your friendship base may be here but they can’t carry you through unemployment and single parenthood.

I am a foreigner myself and I have been a single parent, so please know that my advice is just straight. There really are no loopholes. CAB might help with regards to short-term solutions. But mybworry for you is that you’ll settle for a hell of a lot of instability in the hope that your British born child will have citizenship. It won’t, I’m afraid.

You’re in a tough place and you really, really need to try and get the father on board here to at least try and help obtain citizenship for your child. Or go home to Mum! Are you on reasonable terms with your immediate family? Forgive me if you’ve specified this up thread.

Monday55 · 14/08/2018 19:42

so you've showed thrm p45 and P60 but still no help? Do you have an NI number ? did you apply for one when you arrived here?
.
You seem keen in rejecting your nationality but as long as you have a Swedish passport then you're definitely a Swedish citizen otherwise they wouldn't have bothered renewing your passport all these years.
.
I'm sure when you was travelling around Asia you filled in forms as Swedish citizen ? You can't pick and choose.

fairgame84 · 14/08/2018 19:42

Your child will not be a British citizen as it is not given automatically at birth.
You need to get to citizens advice asap. The council will have a duty towards your child once it is born but not towards you. It's rare, but not impossible, that they could put your child in foster care. My Mum is a social worker and to do this when one of her families became homeless.

Clairetree1 · 14/08/2018 19:43

What happened to your last job? When and why did you leave?

this is also important, because if you left voluntarily you are unlikely to be entitled to benefits, even if you were a British citizen

SillySallySingsSongs · 14/08/2018 19:44

Are you sure that you’re correct about losing your citizenship and personnummer?

^ this. Wha5 happens when you need to renew your passport?

NorthEndGal · 14/08/2018 19:45

You say you have to stay for your friends, do you have friends here that you can stay with short term?

TheVanguardSix · 14/08/2018 19:45

When I say go home to Mum, I assume Mum is not in Swedish as only those Swedish citizens born outside of Sweden risk losing citizenship. You’ve lost your citizenship so it sounds like you haven’t been in Sweden for years, so with the loss of that citizenship, that door is also shut.

OP, you poor soul. This is a desperate situation.

Sarahandduck18 · 14/08/2018 19:48

Were you born in Sweden?

The dad will have to come with you to register the birth for him to be named on the birth certificate and for the baby to have U.K. rights via him.

This is a big gamble to take.

Plus then he will have equal parental rights as you so could keep the baby here if you are deported.

Antonia87 · 14/08/2018 19:48

I am in agreement with the majority of the posters. I have dealt with cases like this and I believe that recently the Zambrano loophole has recently been closed. Unless you have worked consistently in the UK for , I believe the last three years with tax record to prove it or 26 weeks out of the last 52 you wont be habitually resident. In addition , if you cannot prove that the father of the child is British then your child will not be British. If so, the local authority will often offer to take your child into care . They are getting tougher on this if you cannot provide for them. Its a nightmare! I have dealt with many cases. If you are not eligible for benefits local authorities will offer you a flight home. That's it! Get proper immigration advice or return to Sweden to have your child where they will undoubtedly be much kinder!

Monday55 · 14/08/2018 19:48

Words from the Swedish embassy website:
"You will not lose your Swedish citizenship if this would cause you to become stateless."

GinandGingerBeer · 14/08/2018 19:52

Have you been in full time work for the last two tax years?

MongerTruffle · 14/08/2018 19:55

In Sweden, all you would have to do is go with your passport to a Skatteverket servicekontor and register again.

LeftRightCentre · 14/08/2018 19:56

You don't need to stay here for friends, unless those friends are offering to house, feed, clothe and cover your bills. You're not eligible for benefits in your own right and as you don't want to involve the British father in the baby's life, the best thing would be to go back to Sweden.

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 14/08/2018 19:57

Well, the argument re: the Swedish embassy website is that the OP may not be stateless as she maybe able to claim the domicile of her mother and/or father. If she can, then she is not stateless and not entitled to continuing Swedish citizenship if it has lapsed.

OP - where are your parents and what is their background?

I agree with the comments that the council has a duty of care to your child but not necessarily you. If they can discharge that duty via foster care, they will. They are not obliged to find accomodation to let you care for your baby. Sorry - I know that is very upsetting but I think it is very important that is clear as that fact will inform your decision making process

Clairetree1 · 14/08/2018 20:00

I think we are maybe bombarding the Op with too many questions.

Shes looking for what she is entitled to, and the answer is complicated, and in truth, little or nothing.

she's not answering questions much because the answers she is giving are not really making the benefit situation any clearer.

basically, she has to keep knocking on doors, she might get lucky or she might not, no one can really say, that's the current UK housing situation.

I know people in similar situations who have been housed by the council, and people who have ended up on the streets with their children either in care or on the streets with them

so basically, ladies, a list of doors the OP can knock on is the only real help we can give.

*Salvation army
*Shelter
*Streetlink

  • her own council *her midwife *the church where she found her current lodgings. maybe someone else will take in a lodger and she can apply for housing benefit?

any other suggestions?

twobarnsmammisonthebus · 14/08/2018 20:01

If you did move back to Sweden (and had somewhere to move to of course - to family perhaps?) you would be entitled to föräldrapenning and barnbidrag as soon as you were folkbokförd. I believe so anyway - double check with FSK but it certainly appears that way.

Clairetree1 · 14/08/2018 20:02

Swedish embassy does seem to be the best bet