UK state pension for non-EU immigrants

We hope my wife from outside the European Union or EEA can come to live in the UK with myself, a UK citizen.

However, she is a mature lady in her early 50s with no work experience outside her native country. This will make it hard for her to find employment locally in the UK.

In this situation, when she retires in the UK, her UK state pension will be affected, since her National Insurance credits will not be sufficient, even if she eventually gets some sort of employment here, to get even the basic pension.

I am told that in this type of situation, she can claim for a category "B" state pension when she reaches the retirement age. This will give her up to 60 percent of my own state pension, but I'm not clear on the eligibility criteria.

And would her applying in 5 years for UK citizenship or UK naturalization have any effect on this?

Thanks.

John Green wrote:We hope my wife from outside the European Union or EEA can come to live in the UK with myself, a UK citizen.

However, she is a mature lady in her early 50s with no work experience outside her native country. This will make it hard for her to find employment locally in the UK.

In this situation, when she retires in the UK, her UK state pension will be affected, since her National Insurance credits will not be sufficient, even if she eventually gets some sort of employment here, to get even the basic pension.

I am told that in this type of situation, she can claim for a category "B" state pension when she reaches the retirement age. This will give her up to 60 percent of my own state pension, but I'm not clear on the eligibility criteria.

And would her applying in 5 years for UK citizenship or UK naturalization have any effect on this?

Thanks.

Here's a link to the information on a category 'B' state pension. No affect to ILR or BC. She won't qualify for a pension of course until she reaches the age of 65.

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/what-if-you- ... ion-record

John Green wrote:
she is a mature lady in her early 50s

In this situation, when she retires in the UK, her UK state pension will be affected, since her National Insurance credits will not be sufficient, even if she eventually gets some sort of employment here, to get even the basic pension.

I am told that in this type of situation, she can claim for a category "B" state pension when she reaches the retirement age. This will give her up to 60 percent of my own state pension, but I'm not clear on the eligibility criteria.

There are new rules for UK state pension and claiming a part UK pension based on a partner's contributions is being stopped. Now it will be based on her own contributions. Her pension age will be about age 67/68 so she might have time to work and end up with 10/35ths of a UK state pension. Or the state pension age may rise again, which will give her more time to get her 10 years minimum in.

Even if she isn't going to be be working in the UK or can't make the 10 years for a part UK state pension, you can still set a private pension up for her.


https://www.gov.uk/reduced-national-ins ... ried-women

Changes to the State Pension from 6 April 2016

The rules on claiming State Pension based on a spouse or civil partner’s contributions are changing on 6 April 2016. This will affect women born on or after 6 April 1953 and men born on or after 6 April 1951.

The new State Pension is based on your own National Insurance contributions.

Which begs the obvious question of what is she supposed to do if I cannot afford a decent private pension for her (or I might die) and because of her mature age and lack of experience of working in the UK she finds it a real struggle to get in enough years of National Insurance credits to get any UK state pension based on her NI credits. I do know from other people that immigrants who come to the UK at a later age find it very hard to get stable work in the UK, not least because their job history isn't even in the UK and we are not talking about the higher paying work. Are there any arrangements for this situation under the new rules? Or is she supposed to go out begging when she is in her late 60s?

The general rule is that new immigrants to the UK from outside the UK are not supposed to be a drain on public funds. That's why the new rule of £18,600 earnings was introduced in 2012, for example. Cost to the public purse is now specifically taken into account in determining people's right to remain in the UK in relation to their family and private lives.

So the legal answer to your question is that it's your wife's issue, if she chooses to move to the UK, and she doesn't qualify for additional funding*. Will she be eligible for a private or state pension from her previous employment outside the UK?

*It's also not clear to me as a separate matter why she should be advantaged over life-long British citizens in the same position who haven't worked and paid into the system?

avjones wrote:The general rule is that new immigrants to the UK from outside the UK are not supposed to be a drain on public funds. That's why the new rule of £18,600 earnings was introduced in 2012, for example. Cost to the public purse is now specifically taken into account in determining people's right to remain in the UK in relation to their family and private lives.

So the legal answer to your question is that it's your wife's issue, if she chooses to move to the UK, and she doesn't qualify for additional funding*. Will she be eligible for a private or state pension from her previous employment outside the UK?

*It's also not clear to me as a separate matter why she should be advantaged over life-long British citizens in the same position who haven't worked and paid into the system?

@Amanda, you might want to read through this very lengthy thread by the same poster. We have tried, believe me, we have tried.

http://www.immigrationboards.com/claimi ... 02024.html

One option that hasn't been addressed in all of your many posts is the 'elephant in the room'. If your wife is so concerned that she will have a poor standard of life in the UK once she reaches pensionable age and as you say you have a considerable level of savings, have you considered settling together in her home country? Perhaps she would feel happier in the Ukraine, remaining close to the family you feel she will want to visit frequently. It would remove all the worry about her being alone and struggling to support herself financially if you passed away before her

CR001 wrote:

avjones wrote:The general rule is that new immigrants to the UK from outside the UK are not supposed to be a drain on public funds. That's why the new rule of £18,600 earnings was introduced in 2012, for example. Cost to the public purse is now specifically taken into account in determining people's right to remain in the UK in relation to their family and private lives.

So the legal answer to your question is that it's your wife's issue, if she chooses to move to the UK, and she doesn't qualify for additional funding*. Will she be eligible for a private or state pension from her previous employment outside the UK?

*It's also not clear to me as a separate matter why she should be advantaged over life-long British citizens in the same position who haven't worked and paid into the system?

@Amanda, you might want to read through this very lengthy thread by the same poster. We have tried, believe me, we have tried.

http://www.immigrationboards.com/claimi ... 02024.html

Like I said in the other thread, UK is rapidly moving towards US style 'work till you drop' - forget a decent private pension, even those may well not pay out, a lot of my colleagues' pension pots are losing money....

This is Ken Dodd.

Ken is 88 and does 5 and half hours most nights on stage.

Ken is funny.

Be like Ken....

Forget a proper pension.....

@wanderer, you certainly are in top form tonight

CR001 wrote:@wanderer, you certainly are in top form tonight

I found a Holland's Steak and Kidney Pudding in the freezer, I'm buzzing!!!

@Amanda, you might want to read through this very lengthy thread by the same poster. We have tried, believe me, we have tried.

Ah. OK. Fair enough (-: