Claiming benefits and Overseas Travel

[dixey]

Hi all,

I need some expert advise. Me and my wife recently got our ILR. We have already planned to go and visit our family in December 2011 and had bought our tickets already.

Now the question is Should we apply for claiming any benefits before we go or should we apply for benefit claims after coming back to UK.

My circumstances are: my wife is unemployed for 2.5 years and she would like to claim the benefits till she finds a job. But there is a clause in ILR leaflet which says as following:

If you leave uk, you will normally be re-admitted for settlement as a returning resident provided that: you did not receive assistance from public funds towards the cost of leaving this country.

My wife want to leave Uk for only 2.5 months.

Please help in the query

Thanks

Dixiy

[Casa]

Disregarding the issue about returning residents...how will you wife claim unemployment benefit if she is unavailable to work for 2.5 months while she's away on holiday?

[peppekalle]

If you will be away that long don't claim any benefit till you are back and actively seeking employment.

They will need you to sign in regularly at the jobcentre.