Habitual Residence + Advances via Health Centre?

broin

So I moved back to Dublin at the end of February and have been looking for work. After a week of registering with agencies, a friend suggested I sign on. The inspector called to confirm my address, all the forms were sent off, and I've been waiting since the beginning of March for my claim to come through. Looong wait.

I'd been in Scotland for the last 14 years, so I understand part of the delay is confirming I am now habitually resident. Which is a pain, and I don't know what it is they have to confirm. Does anyone have any experience of this?

In the meantime, I've gotten a job, starting next week. But money's now extremely tight such that I don't know how I'll be able to afford travelling to the job!

So today, the chap in the job shop suggested I speak to my local health centre. Apparently, they can sometimes offer an advance on pending dole claims. Does anyone have any experience of that? I'm not registered with any health centre, and this is the first I've heard of it.

Thanks.

Kristopherus

You should go to the Community Welfare Officer in your area. The chap in the Jobshop may have the contact details. They usually have an office in the local health centre. What you may get there is called Supplementary Welfare Allowance. You must have an Irish PPSN to apply. This allowance is usually paid out while awaiting the Jobseekers Allowance/Benefit (or dole). What you get will be deducted from the arrears due to you from when you first applied. Re habitual residence - if you have an Irish passport this condition does not apply.

broin

Thanks, K.

Habitual Residence still needs to be proved, somehow. That's certainly what they're still confirming, though I lived the last 14 years in the UK so I would have thought it would be quicker than this. I don't know how they investigate and confirm all that (tax? passport control?) but that's what they're doing now.

I'll find my Community Welfare Officer today and see what gives.

Thanks.

c4cat

broin wrote: »

Thanks, K.

Habitual Residence still needs to be proved, somehow. That's certainly what they're still confirming, though I lived the last 14 years in the UK so I would have thought it would be quicker than this. I don't know how they investigate and confirm all that (tax? passport control?) but that's what they're doing now.

I'll find my Community Welfare Officer today and see what gives.

Thanks.

You can Prove habitual residence with UK bank statements, UK P45, UK med card, UK drivers License, UK TV License, UK gas, electric , council tax.

broin

c4cat wrote: »

You can Prove habitual residence with UK bank statements, UK P45, UK med card, UK drivers License, UK TV License, UK gas, electric , council tax.

No-one asked for those, and they'd be pretty easy to provide.

I've still not heard anything back, so that's my claim sitting on someone's desk for 7 weeks now. Thank goodness I have friends who can help out.

tomred1

Habitual residance basically means is that you plan to stay in Ireland now that you are back and your not just here on a extended holiday, you are not signing on in Scotland .At the moment social welfare offices are really busy and your claim is not just sitting on someone desk, perhaps you should of made sure you had the money to move to Ireland. You should of signed-on in Scotland first then transfered it over to Ireland.

broin

tomred1 wrote: »

At the moment social welfare offices are really busy and your claim is not just sitting on someone desk, perhaps you should of made sure you had the money to move to Ireland.

I came over having had assurances from agencies that I'd have a job within a few weeks. I had sufficient money for months. Getting a job has taken twice as long as I expected.

If they're really busy and can't cope with demand, that's a problem. But I don't have a lot of sympathy.

Cheers.

Mrs. MacGyver

Kristopherus wrote: »

You should go to the Community Welfare Officer in your area. The chap in the Jobshop may have the contact details. They usually have an office in the local health centre. What you may get there is called Supplementary Welfare Allowance. You must have an Irish PPSN to apply. This allowance is usually paid out while awaiting the Jobseekers Allowance/Benefit (or dole). What you get will be deducted from the arrears due to you from when you first applied. Re habitual residence - if you have an Irish passport this condition does not apply.

Dosen't matter if you have an Irish passport - the habitual residence conditin must be satisfied

broin

6 months after my initial claim, 5 months after I heard that I had to provide proof of habitual residency, two jobs later, that's the cheque arrived.

Mrs OBumble

broin wrote: »

6 months after my initial claim, 5 months after I heard that I had to provide proof of habitual residency, two jobs later, that's the cheque arrived.

Be grateful that you came from the UK, and thus got a cheque at all.

People who come from other places, even with Irish passports, have no eligibility for any type of welfare until they've been habitually resident for two years.

broin

JustMary wrote: »

Be grateful that you came from the UK, and thus got a cheque at all.

People who come from other places, even with Irish passports, have no eligibility for any type of welfare until they've been habitually resident for two years.

Yeesh. To be honest, it's the foreign nationals I sympathise with. At no point will a gap be picked up by a social welfare system - you're out of a job, you're screwed. I just needed a few weeks covered while agencies got their fingers out. But if it had been much longer, I'd have been penniless.