Moving to Ireland from Norway

SCharlie

I'm a 39 year old woman currently living in Norway, wanting to move to Ireland. My challenge is that I'm in a wheelchair and dependent of personal assistants to live my life. I want to move, I don't really care to where as long as it's Ireland and would appreciate any help to make my dream come true.

looksee

I suppose the first question is what nationality are you? Do you have any ties to Ireland? If not, have you been and spent a holiday here? Why Ireland?

Have you read up on what the health system can and cannot provide, what you would qualify for. Just getting a medical card could take months, if you can get one at all, and getting personal assistants could be slow too. Once you are in the system it works rather better, but to come in and try and join the system is another matter.

If you have/can get private health insurance, or can sponsor yourself then its a rather different story, but if you need state assistance it would be difficult.

Even the initial, physical move could be a problem, getting an apartment, finding people to care for you while you battle the system. Sorry to be so negative, but unless there are aspects to your move (like family here) that you have not mentioned, it is going to be difficult.

SCharlie

I'm Norwegian. I don't have any ties to Ireland, but I have this unexplainable connection to the country. I have been there several times, and every time I just know it's where I'm supposed to be. 
I'm living a quite difficult life as it is, so I'm prepared to fight to be able to move there. I just have to know where to start, and I'll do whatever it takes to have the possibility to live the rest of my life somewhere I can be myself and be happy. I have read up on what the health system can provide, and as far as I can understand I also qualify for the medical card. We don't have private health insurance in Norway, and I'm not sure I would be able to sponsor myself so a medical card would be my best option.

looksee

The problem is though that medical cards can take a long while to get and are not granted readily. I have two daughters who returned from abroad, one from UK and one from US and neither were able to get medical cards even though theoretically they would have been entitled to them. Fortunately neither of them got sick and both are at the moment looking at getting private insurance, even though neither of them is really on a wage that would make it affordable.

Will you have an income from Norway? You would not have an entitlement here, I don't know whether Norway has an EU type agreement with Ireland, but again, returning residents even from EU countries do not have an immediate right to income.

I don't think you should depend on information from the internet (though we do our best) for this kind of move. You need to be in touch with someone who can guide you through the issues you will face. You could try contacting Citizens Advice http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/ or at least reading their information.

Good luck!

lulu1

I suppose another question would be would you have the means to set yourself up in Ireland ie housing ect and also money to live on while they were looking into your medical card situation.
Also i dont know what benefits you would qualify for having not worked here

Concerning personal assistance you could always go private on that

mickmac76

I wouldn't really recommend moving to Ireland at the moment. As other people have pointed out getting a medical card can take months and even when you have one getting access to medical consultants can take months if not years. In an emergency you can present yourself at any hospital Accident and Emergency department and be sure of seeing a doctor in a few hours but if you have a chronic long term condition it will take a very long time to set you up with a consultant. The medical card guarantees that you get free health care but it doesn't say when you will get it. Waiting lists for certain specialists like neurologists can be very long. Also you probably won't get personal assistants until the consultant gives the HSE a report detailing your situation and how much care you need. Personal assistants are very rare over here and I mostly get a person in to help me wash and dress in the morning and that's it.Even with a consultants report the home help is spotty and different areas provide different levels of support and you will be waiting for the home help as well. Everything else is up to my family to provide.
Getting some where to live will be an absolute nightmare unless you have your own money to buy a home. There is a serious housing crisis in the country and it's likely to continue for several more years yet. Houses for disabled people is rare unless you are buying it yourself and local authorities will struggle to house you. I'm not sure if you are entitled to housing free of charge even if you are from an EEA country.
There are plenty of people entitled to social housing over here but they can be on a housing list for years without getting anywhere.
Anyways good luck but I wouldn't move over unless you have your own source of income regardless of your theoretical entitlements.

Graces7

OP, Go for it... I did and no regrets. yes re the Citizens info ; they are great . It can be done and you are determined enough...

Call them?

And see

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/migrant_workers/coming_from_eu_to_work.html

You have rights to social welfare etc.

Good luck and prepare well

looksee

Graces 7, you came from England so you had entitlements, you did not need full time carers. Someone coming from Norway would not have social welfare rights.

Graces7

looksee wrote: »

Graces 7, you came from England so you had entitlements, you did not need full time carers. Someone coming from Norway would not have social welfare rights.

All that needs to be professionally checked as I read the rules differently.

And you do not know the situation I was in when I came here.

The real point here is that the OP really wants and needs to do this and needs to check professionally and positively.

There are also a number of ex-pat groups who will advise and help
eg

https://www.internations.org/ireland-expats/norwegians

https://techlifeireland.com/moving-to-ireland/eu-citizens/

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Persons-coming-from-other-EU-or-EEA-countries.aspx

see b especially that last reference

It took me a full year to organise my move; and there was a fair amount of naysaying which is why I advocate go for it!

Reseaerch, ask , seek from folk who have done it.

And the best of luck!

Moonbeam

hi SCharlie,
I am irish living in Norway .
Do you plan to move on your own?
DO you plan to buy a house?
DO you drive?
Any questions in particular?
There are so many factors to weigh up,they are only slightly complicated due to Norway being outside the EU.