noajthan wrote:2) Once a BC your sponsor couldn't sponsor you as dual nationals (from EU/EEA) who are BCs are not recognised as Union citizens for this purpose - even before Brexit.
(Except under a special transitional arrangement, if you were married and had a RC before a key date in 2012.
My colleagues are obviously not aware of that. Since the referendum, I have had a lot of the 'now you are going to
have to get involved with a British guy' crap. It's the kind of area where people moan if EU nationals marry among themselves (including, say, a German and an Italian marrying together), as this shows they do not want to integrate! Am I glad I don't have kids.
Livia, I don't know how far you've gone looking at CSI. If your husband/partner has PMI (Private Medical Insurance) through work, one solution would be for him to add you to his policy as a dependent. Some providers (AXA for example) will backdate the start date of your cover for up to 3 months.
If you are looking to take CSI in your own right, avoid BUPA at all costs. They are extremely dearly beloved, and it's not just in my experience (I even had 'we don't do foreigners' when trying to talk to them on the phone - I made a complaint in writing
), but that of other foreigners as well, and even of British people who just happened to be married to a foreigner, and had taken their husband's foreign family name.
AXA are good though pricey. I know of several foreigners (with names much harder to spell than mine) who have policies with them, with no issues whatsoever. Some of the staff are foreign, which does help.
Aviva is cheaper, but I have no experience with them for that type of product. Have had plenty of dealing with them though, with no experience of beloved. I think they give a discount to people who visit the gym regularly, might be certain gyms only though (like Nuffield Health).
Vitality's premiums are in the middle range. Only know of 1 person with them, no problems as far as I know, but 1 is rather a small sample size. Again, I think they give a discount to people who visit the gym regularly.
WPA don't seem to come up on search engines or when you do a quote on Money Savings, however I have had very good feedback about them. Premiums are reasonable and quite a few people who work for the NHS seem to go for a cover with them, so they must be quite good. Also when I spoke to the underwriters a couple of years ago, they seemed very knowledgeable.
Lastly, if you are over a certain age, you may need to be underwritten: they will send you a health questionnaire and use the answers to see a) if they can accept you; b) if they need to charge you more than the standard premium to insure themselves against the risk of taking you on board. If you're in good health, it is nothing to worry about, and even if you had/have something, and it was/is treated successfully, you can still get cover. The fact that you had your cholesterol checked will help
They will ask your NHS's GP contact details, so do make sure you are still registered with a NHS GP, even if you don't use the NHS. Mine tried to kick me out last time I moved house, I reregistered and booked an appointment for my 40-year old MOT (much, much outstanding, but needed to take a half day off work to attend), which earns them brownie points. I am praying they don't modify their catchment area or that I don't have to move house again.
If the premium is a bit pricey for you, don't hesitate to call their helpline and to try to haggle. It's in their interest to write as much business as possible. For example, you could get a cheap quote with BUPA, then call another provider and say 'I would like to take a policy with you, however I got a cheaper quote from BUPA, can you match it?'.
Mult noroc with your application!
).