Lostleedsfan Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 I suffer Borderline Personality Disorder (Cluster B) with Bipolar traits and Major Depressive Disorder. I have been in Australia unhappily since 1991. As is common with BPD sufferers I have now lost all my family relationships here in Australia including my wife and children. I have no interest in being here in Australia anymore without seeing them. I have 2 Australian friends, 1 in Ireland and a brother in UK. I am close to no one. I have next to no money, no properly or assets and I am unable to work anymore due to my mental health issues. I’m feeling a little lost and overwhelmed after working so bloody hard for 45 years both professionally and emotionally on my health. I am out or resources now a little lost, I am not suicidal but have many failed attempts over the years. The only thing I can think of is moving back home with a little cash (£15,000) but I understand I won’t qualify for help of any sort including medical (only worked 10 years in uk before I emigrated) and I have no Superannuation in Australia as I was “paid out” due to my ill health and that money has long since gone. Can anyone please in good faith point me in the right direction as to get the best advice possible from an entitlements perspective if I move back. As I see it I am facing only 2 alternatives 1, live on the streets in Sydney (warmer) 2, move home and hope my birth right in someway allows me to stay or live on the streets of Leeds (cold) Thanks in advance xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Manna Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 48 minutes ago, Lostleedsfan said: I suffer Borderline Personality Disorder (Cluster B) with Bipolar traits and Major Depressive Disorder. I have been in Australia unhappily since 1991. As is common with BPD sufferers I have now lost all my family relationships here in Australia including my wife and children. I have no interest in being here in Australia anymore without seeing them. I have 2 Australian friends, 1 in Ireland and a brother in UK. I am close to no one. I have next to no money, no properly or assets and I am unable to work anymore due to my mental health issues. I’m feeling a little lost and overwhelmed after working so bloody hard for 45 years both professionally and emotionally on my health. I am out or resources now a little lost, I am not suicidal but have many failed attempts over the years. The only thing I can think of is moving back home with a little cash (£15,000) but I understand I won’t qualify for help of any sort including medical (only worked 10 years in uk before I emigrated) and I have no Superannuation in Australia as I was “paid out” due to my ill health and that money has long since gone. Can anyone please in good faith point me in the right direction as to get the best advice possible from an entitlements perspective if I move back. As I see it I am facing only 2 alternatives 1, live on the streets in Sydney (warmer) 2, move home and hope my birth right in someway allows me to stay or live on the streets of Leeds (cold) Thanks in advance xx Could your brother put you up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostleedsfan Posted July 7 Author Share Posted July 7 Hi ya, He has a small 3 br house and shares with his wife & 3 kids. He has no room unfortunately. Further my BPD would destroy that relationship too if I lived there, I would need to live alone quietly somewhere, little caravan or bedsit or something really really cheap. Thanks for being kind enough to suggest things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 3 hours ago, Lostleedsfan said: I suffer Borderline Personality Disorder (Cluster B) with Bipolar traits and Major Depressive Disorder. I have been in Australia unhappily since 1991. ...As I see it I am facing only 2 alternatives 1, live on the streets in Sydney (warmer) 2, move home and hope my birth right in someway allows me to stay or live on the streets of Leeds (cold) It is awful to be stuck in a country where you don't want to be, but I can't see how you could survive in the UK, frankly. Are you receiving some kind of pension or other benefit in Australia? I dont think you can afford to lose that. Sydney is the most expensive city in Australia for housing. It's literally double the price of almost everywhere else in the country. Have you considered moving to a cheaper city? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 3 hours ago, Lostleedsfan said: I suffer Borderline Personality Disorder (Cluster B) with Bipolar traits and Major Depressive Disorder. I have been in Australia unhappily since 1991. As is common with BPD sufferers I have now lost all my family relationships here in Australia including my wife and children. I have no interest in being here in Australia anymore without seeing them. I have 2 Australian friends, 1 in Ireland and a brother in UK. I am close to no one. I have next to no money, no properly or assets and I am unable to work anymore due to my mental health issues. I’m feeling a little lost and overwhelmed after working so bloody hard for 45 years both professionally and emotionally on my health. I am out or resources now a little lost, I am not suicidal but have many failed attempts over the years. The only thing I can think of is moving back home with a little cash (£15,000) but I understand I won’t qualify for help of any sort including medical (only worked 10 years in uk before I emigrated) and I have no Superannuation in Australia as I was “paid out” due to my ill health and that money has long since gone. Can anyone please in good faith point me in the right direction as to get the best advice possible from an entitlements perspective if I move back. As I see it I am facing only 2 alternatives 1, live on the streets in Sydney (warmer) 2, move home and hope my birth right in someway allows me to stay or live on the streets of Leeds (cold) Thanks in advance xx One major point - you would qualify for NHS treatment as soon as you become a UK resident again. Doesn't matter how much NI you have pair, once you are a UK resident you can register with a GP and use the NHS. There is a waiting period for other benefits I believe, but not having paid NI does not disqualify you from them. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Manna Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 17 minutes ago, Nemesis said: One major point - you would qualify for NHS treatment as soon as you become a UK resident again. Doesn't matter how much NI you have pair, once you are a UK resident you can register with a GP and use the NHS. There is a waiting period for other benefits I believe, but not having paid NI does not disqualify you from them. NHS record on mental health issues isn't great right now. Long waiting lists. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 2 hours ago, Blue Manna said: NHS record on mental health issues isn't great right now. Long waiting lists. I've no experience of it, so can't say. I just wanted the P to realise that he would qualify for NHS treatment, regardless of NI payment status. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostleedsfan Posted July 8 Author Share Posted July 8 2 hours ago, Marisawright said: It is awful to be stuck in a country where you don't want to be, but I can't see how you could survive in the UK, frankly. Are you receiving some kind of pension or other benefit in Australia? I dont think you can afford to lose that. Sydney is the most expensive city in Australia for housing. It's literally double the price of almost everywhere else in the country. Have you considered moving to a cheaper city? Thank You, am not in receipt of any pension and have been moving from job to job for over 40 years. Iv had 67 jobs in that time with 3 making up 21 years of the 40. You can perhaps imagine then the length of time I spent in most jobs. A couple of weeks at best. Sometimes a few hours only. As for another city in Oz, yes I’d thought of that but honestly now at my age and without any family love and support here I think the allure of the UK and any sense of belonging that remains are what I want to try. i just dont know how to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostleedsfan Posted July 8 Author Share Posted July 8 2 hours ago, Blue Manna said: NHS record on mental health issues isn't great right now. Long waiting lists. Thank You, well that’s one thing I can rely on then. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Manna Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 1 hour ago, Lostleedsfan said: Thank You, well that’s one thing I can rely on then. Thanks But you should get good response for medications. That should be quick, especially if continuing what you are currently on. Theres actions you can take to reduce pharmaceutical costs too It's mainly if you want therapy that you will wait. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 9 hours ago, Lostleedsfan said: As for another city in Oz, yes I’d thought of that but honestly now at my age and without any family love and support here I think the allure of the UK and any sense of belonging that remains are what I want to try. That's fine. I was only answering your statement that you had 'only two options', to stay in either Sydney or Leeds. You're not restricted to those two cities. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partnership Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 How old are you? If you are pension age and have paid 10 years in UK you would get a reduced state pension. You may also be able to buy back years. I suggest setting up a uk mygov account and checking your pension forecast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostleedsfan Posted July 8 Author Share Posted July 8 (edited) Hi ya, I’m 60 and unfortunately I have only about 8.5 years contributions before I left in 91. Not sure about the cost of topping up as I don’t have much $$ BUT I will definitely look at setting up that UK Gov acc thank you Edited July 8 by Lostleedsfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 5 hours ago, Lostleedsfan said: Hi ya, I’m 60 and unfortunately I have only about 8.5 years contributions before I left in 91. Not sure about the cost of topping up as I don’t have much $$ BUT I will definitely look at setting up that UK Gov acc thank you Unfortunately they've changed the setup so now, you need a UK address before you can set up a UK Gov account. You need 10 years' contributions to get any state pension at all. The good news is that you can get credit for some of your Australian work experience, but only for the years before 2001. So, if you left in 1991 then you should be able to claim 9 or 10 years. You can't claim until you're resident in the UK, though. That will give you a pro rata age pension, i.e. 20/35ths of the full pension. Who knows what the rate will be by the time you reach pension age (which will be when you're 67). But if you were able to claim it right now, 20/35ths would be only £63 a week. I can't see how you can live on that, if you have no other savings. Are you aware that you won't be able to claim the Australian age pension from the UK? If you want to get your Australian aged pension, you'll have to stay in Australia until you're 67, go into Centrelink and claim the pension, then as soon as it's been processed and you start receiving it, you can leave the country and you'll continue receiving it for the rest of your life. But if you leave Australia before you're eligible, there's no way to claim it from the UK. And in case you're wondering, you can't just fly back to Australia to claim it -- you'd have to come back and live here for 2 full years first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 (edited) For benefits you might be able to get now, this calculator may help: https://www.turn2us.org.uk/ Edited July 9 by Marisawright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 On 08/07/2024 at 10:03, Lostleedsfan said: Thank You, am not in receipt of any pension You mention you can't work any more because of mental health issues and your superannuation was paid out due to ill health. Superannuation is paid out early only for serious conditions so why are you not receiving a Disability Pension? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostleedsfan Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 6 hours ago, Marisawright said: Unfortunately they've changed the setup so now, you need a UK address before you can set up a UK Gov account. You need 10 years' contributions to get any state pension at all. The good news is that you can get credit for some of your Australian work experience, but only for the years before 2001. So, if you left in 1991 then you should be able to claim 9 or 10 years. You can't claim until you're resident in the UK, though. That will give you a pro rata age pension, i.e. 20/35ths of the full pension. Who knows what the rate will be by the time you reach pension age (which will be when you're 67). But if you were able to claim it right now, 20/35ths would be only £63 a week. I can't see how you can live on that, if you have no other savings. Are you aware that you won't be able to claim the Australian age pension from the UK? If you want to get your Australian aged pension, you'll have to stay in Australia until you're 67, go into Centrelink and claim the pension, then as soon as it's been processed and you start receiving it, you can leave the country and you'll continue receiving it for the rest of your life. But if you leave Australia before you're eligible, there's no way to claim it from the UK. And in case you're wondering, you can't just fly back to Australia to claim it -- you'd have to come back and live here for 2 full years first. Wow they’ve covered all the bases haven’t they. I guess the math just doesn’t work out for me. I guess that’s why I’ve been getting so down about it all. Perhaps the streets of Leeds have warmed up a bit since I left ?? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostleedsfan Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 1 hour ago, Skani said: You mention you can't work any more because of mental health issues and your superannuation was paid out due to ill health. Superannuation is paid out early only for serious conditions so why are you not receiving a Disability Pension? I kept pushing and pushing to stand on my own two feet but went to Services Australia yesterday to begin the process of claimING DSP. Just been collating all my medical reports today for uploading 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 24 minutes ago, Lostleedsfan said: Wow they’ve covered all the bases haven’t they. I guess the math just doesn’t work out for me. We made the same discovery. We tried to retire to the UK in 2015. We were in a much better position financially than you, but we soon realised that we wouldn't have the Aussie pension as a safety net if our money ran out and we felt that was too much of a risk. The reason is that there's no social security agreement between Australia and the UK. It's odd because you'd think there would be, given our other ties. This might sound like a crazy idea, but do you think you could live in Ireland? I don't mean Northern Ireland, I mean the separate country Ireland. As a British citizen, you have the right to live in Ireland without any restrictions. There IS a social security agreement between Australia and Ireland so you'd be able to claim your pension if you lived there. So you'd be financially much more secure. I know Ireland isn't England, but it's much closer to the culture and climate you prefer, and within reach of visiting the UK (or family visiting you). You could maybe view it as a stepping stone -- get to Ireland, stay there till you get your Aussie pension sorted, then it's only a small hop to move over to England. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 The Australian pension is a lot more generous than the UK state pension I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 In your shoes i might consider moving to Queensland. I have a relative who lives in Townsville and basically shorts and t-shirt all year arounc. No heating costs. You do need air con in the summer though. The cost of living should be a lot cheaper than Sydney or Melbourne. Moving to a freezing city in North England doesn't sound too appealing if you will struggle to stay warm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 10 minutes ago, Parley said: The Australian pension is a lot more generous than the UK state pension I think. It sure is, and in Lostleedsfan's case it's even worse, because he'd only get about half the UK pension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 47 minutes ago, Lostleedsfan said: I kept pushing and pushing to stand on my own two feet but went to Services Australia yesterday to begin the process of claimING DSP. Just been collating all my medical reports today for uploading Keep your chin up! I know it's not easy dealing with Centrelink (or whatever they call themselves today) at the best of times but it's even harder when one is struggling with other life issues as well. However you sound as though you have a sound case for the DP. A supportive medical practitioner to answer the bureaucracy's questions is very helpful if you have one. I wish you all the best. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partnership Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Just to clarify you do not need a uk address to set up a UK mygov account. You can buy back years from 2006 to present. The rate depends on whether you worked before leaving uk and worked overseas so cost could be 164 pounds or around 800 odd per year. You may find that you have more than 9 years as they used to give you 3 years credit so well worth exploring. You can claim from 67 and do not need to be resident there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 10 hours ago, partnership said: Just to clarify you do not need a uk address to set up a UK mygov account. I'm confused now. I didn't need a UK address to set up the account but that was a few years ago. Then this year, a PIO member tried to set up an account and said the rules had changed, and they couldn't do it without a UK address. How recently did you set yours up? 10 hours ago, partnership said: You can claim from 67 and do not need to be resident there. Yes, that's the difference between the UK and Australian pensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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