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claiming housing benefit and FLR (M)??

Questions and discussions about claiming benefits while living and working in the UK

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myrlabelle
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Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: LONDON

claiming housing benefit and FLR (M)??

Post by myrlabelle » Sun Sep 28, 2008 2:05 pm

hi !
i am currently on a student visa which runs out in 2 months...me and my british boyfriend are expecting our first child in 4 weeks.
i am wanting to extend my stay as a student for this year and then apply for a FLR(M).
the problem is that my bf is claiming housing benefit (and we have been living together for 3 years without telling the benefit people :oops: )
he is also claiming income support, is on the list to get a council house(as he is registered as a homeless single father) and child benefit (for his son from a previous marriage).
Now, he will stop claiming income support soon as he has been offered a job that pays £18k/yr (b4 tax) , but will still be caliming the other benefits as we can't afford to pay for rent without help from the government...
now, in this situation, does it seem impossible for me to get an FLR(M)?
what do we have to do in order to make sure my application will be accepted?
i am extremely stressed and being heavily pregnant doesn't help at all :cry:
thank you very very much

John
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Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:54 pm
Location: Birmingham, England
United Kingdom

Post by John » Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:45 pm

he will stop claiming income support soon as he has been offered a job that pays £18k/yr (b4 tax) , but will still be claiming the other benefits as we can't afford to pay for rent without help from the government...
now, in this situation, does it seem impossible for me to get an FLR(M)?
You seem to be under the impression that your boyfriend, a British Citizen, is not entitled to claim Public Funds? Or alternatively, if he does that might affect a visa application?

I have to ask, why have you got that impression?
...... child benefit (for his son from a previous marriage) .....
So that son lives with the two of you? Especially if that is the case, there really is no problem as regards the benefit claims you mention. Furthermore, when he starts work, and thus ceases to get income support, the two of you jointly need to make a claim for Tax Credits. Jointly? In respect of a couple living together the Tax Credits claim must always be submitted jointly.
i am wanting to extend my stay as a student for this year and then apply for a FLR(M)
Why? Assuming that you still have a valid student visa at the moment .... when does it expire(?) ... why not go straight for the UPV using form FLR(M) .... especially after your boyfriend starts his job.
John

myrlabelle
Newbie
Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: LONDON

RE : HOUSING BENEFIT AND FLR(M)

Post by myrlabelle » Fri Nov 06, 2009 9:53 pm

HI

Thanks for your reply john!

If my boyfriend works but still applies for housing benefit (rent is £350 a week and wages are £320 a week!!)
Will that affect our FLR(M)??
If so, how can we do this?
Thanks!!

John
Moderator
Posts: 12320
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:54 pm
Location: Birmingham, England
United Kingdom

Post by John » Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:46 pm

As long as it is clear that you will not need to claim Public Funds, as defined, there should not be a problem.

But the arrival of the baby will affect the benefit situation very considerably. For a start there is the matter of more Child Benefit, and then in addition the joint claim by the two of you for Tax Credits. All of that is OK, and should not cause a problem as regards the visa.

When you say your boyfriend is claiming Income Support, do you mean Tax Credits? How many hours per week is he currently earning?
John

myrlabelle
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Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: LONDON

Post by myrlabelle » Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:12 pm

Hi John

He isn't working atm :( but i am just asking for the future... he is on JSA and we are not claiming any child benefit for our baby, because i am looking after the baby not him and i am not entitled to PFs...

when u say as long as you don't claim Benefits do u mean that HE can ? but in the flrm it clearly states that all the family sould be living without having to recourse to public funds! this is soooo confusing!!

please shed some light for me.
THANKS

John
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Posts: 12320
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:54 pm
Location: Birmingham, England
United Kingdom

Post by John » Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:35 pm

myrlabelle, it's late and I am tired and just about to go to bed .... about 30 seconds after posting this .... but can you clarify, are the two of you currently living together? Or living apart?

Apologies if that should already be clear.
John

myrlabelle
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Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: LONDON

Post by myrlabelle » Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:43 pm

Thank you john, you can reply tomorrow.

We are living together! but i just don't wanna get in trouble thats why i don't want to apply for child benefit...

He is out of work atm but looking... and we prefer to apply for my spouse visa after he gets the coucil flat so there won't be any complications as he has been awaiting for one for over 9 years!

I still study and this will be my last year... i don't know what we'll do :( i really don't wanna go back to my country as this is my home now, my baby is british and he will have to come with me if i have to go.... thats just unfair isn't it? we are a family now, i am willing to work and support everyone including my bf... but will they let me?

John
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Posts: 12320
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:54 pm
Location: Birmingham, England
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Post by John » Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:38 am

Ah right, so the two of you live together, and he is currently unemployed, and he has a child from a previous relationship, and you are currently heavily pregnant and will give birth later this calendar year. Does that sum it up?

I am absolutely not going to repeat all the technical arguments here in this topic ..... they are already fully dealt with in the first sticky topic in this Claiming benefits section of this Board .... but your boyfriend presumably currently claims JSA ... job-seekers' allowance ... and also Child Benefit for his child. And also he is claiming Tax Credits, now just the Child Tax Credit? Correct?

After the baby is born, your boyfriend should notify the Child Benefit office and add the new child to his claim. Tax Credits? Please confirm that Tax Credits are being claimed in the joint names of the two of you. It would be very wrong for just him to be claiming in his sole name, given that the two of you clearly live together.

Anyway, again after the birth of the baby, the joint claim for Tax Credits should be amended to take account of the new child.

Housing Benefit? Council Tax Benefit? He is British and perfectly able to claim those benefits. However what he cannot do is get more such benefit because you are living there with him, given you have a visa with the "No recourse to Public Funds" restriction. But given the existence of a child in the household, there cannot be a problem. That is because the "income disregard" for "a single parent and one child" is the same as for "a couple and one child", so you living there with him cannot possibly cause more benefit to be paid.

Council Housing? I am not sure why you think there is a problem there? Again the same restriction applies as for HB and CTB, there would be a problem if a larger Council House were to be allocated because you are living there with him. But in practice it won't be. Councils allocate the same size of accommodation to a single parent with two children, as to a couple and two children, so no problem at all.

Presumably the birth of the baby, or its imminent birth, is what you hope will cause the Council to allocate accommodation. Hopefully you will be successful.
we prefer to apply for my spouse visa after he gets the coucil flat
The Council accommodation is not a problem, but his lack of employment might be. Yes I know it is difficult but he really needs to find a job before you apply for your visa. You say spouse visa, but the two of you are not married? How long have the two of you been living together? When do you plan to marry? Have you applied for a CoA?

You must apply for a new visa before your current visa expires.
John

myrlabelle
Newbie
Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: LONDON

Post by myrlabelle » Sat Nov 07, 2009 4:17 pm

Thank you john, you are being extremely helpful !!

We are just about to apply for a COA and we have been together (living together) for 4 years and a few months....

You got it right except that the baby is already born, he is 1 now! the first question i asked a year ago...

But i can not and do not want to apply for CTC or CB bcs i am not allowed and i really don't wanna have any problems with the home office or become illegal in any way, I am very wary of that .

He is looking for a job but you know how it is like lately, the credit crunch got us badly.

Now i am aware that i might have to go back to my country in 2 mnths (thats when my visa expires)
Bcs we don't seem to have enough time to apply for anything, he is unemployed and even if he finds a job tomorrow (which is very unlikely) we still need at least 3 mnths payslips...
So if we get the COA, get married and then me and the baby leave the UK, Can he bring us back once he finds a job? if so how long might we end up outside the UK?

(I don't want u to get confused, i said previously that his job pays 18k but he has been made redundant shortly after he started )
Also, if i ring up the Homeoffice next week and ask a few Questions will they be able to answer them for me?
I just want to make sure about the benefit bit, its only bcs in the HO website they say, i quote, :
# there will be adequate accommodation for both of you and any dependants without the need for public funds, and at least part of that accommodation (for example, a bedroom) is for your and your partner's sole use; and
# both of you will be able to maintain yourselves and any dependants adequately without needing public funds.

IT CLEARLY SAYS BOTH OF YOU!

Thank u ever so much x

John
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Posts: 12320
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:54 pm
Location: Birmingham, England
United Kingdom

Post by John » Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:45 pm

But i can not and do not want to apply for CTC or CB bcs i am not allowed and i really don't wanna have any problems with the home office or become illegal in any way, I am very wary of that .
Clearly you have not read the pinned topic I referred to earlier. Until you do so and understand the comments posted there, you are not really going to be able to move forward.
You got it right except that the baby is already born, he is 1 now! the first question i asked a year ago...
Whoops, I didn't spot the opening post in this topic was posted over a year ago!
John

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