[RBS] British benefits?

[LEONARD GOSSELS]

Dear Rivka
 
There are many benefits to being British:
 
Bathing instead of showering
Stiff upper lip
Warm beer
Bracing weather
Never actually saying what you mean
 
 
and now onto British benefits and I presume that you mean child benefits and not pensions because British pensions can be received in Israel?
 
Child benefits are paid out assuming that you qualify. A family blessed with 4 kids would get £59.60 per week at current rates valid until April 2010. Usuallly you cannot claim them if you are ex-UK. What National Insurance do is allow them to lapse after a certain time period, after which you have to re-apply...and not by email. In other words they are wise to people from abroad claiming child benefits. I would not recommend this as a long-term income option.
 
The authorities in the UK use something called a Habitual Residency Test (not the HRT some of you were thinking of..but there you are) to ascertain if you are truly permanent in the UK. Returning to the UK in 1999, we had to pass this test to be eligible for any benefits despite the fact that we are all UK citizens and have complete and up-to-date NI and tax records and our own teeth.
 
If you really want to claim UK benefits, I suggest you emigrate and claim asylum there since the asylum seeker system seems to work differently. You may even be granted a small apartment on a Glasgow housing estate as happened to a Jewish family that fled Iran.
 
On the other hand, had you married an American? Well there are plenty of listers who can answer better than I about the $ tax benefit per child.
 
In the meantime I wish you the best of British luck and shabbat shalom
 
Len Gossels
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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