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Relocating from abroad due to further medical problems and family cancer diagnosis

Malc1311

Hi to all members.
Firstly I must congratulate Scope on putting together and administering this Forum.
As a very new member, I can see it is a very valuable source for information and advice for many people. I hope to gain advice myself and be an active member over the coming months.
So to the main reason why I joined and reached out to Scope in the first instance.
Having been born and bred in Manchester, but visiting places abroad I decided to settle in the Philippines due to better climate for my arthritic condition which meant next to no pain relief medication.. I also got remarried here which broke down after only 2 years due to her infidelity.
I was almost full time carer for my parents (mother housebound and Father various illnesses which made him requiring a lot of care) until my Father passing.
At this time i was in dispute with my 2 brothers over the care of my Father while he was alive which made me feel very unsafe in Manchester. I then decided to leave urgently and settled here
I have now a new family here with my Filipina partner and her Daughter. It's been 9 years now. I moved here in 2012.
I have 2 Sons in the UK ( my eldest I hadn't spoken to since before I came here for various reason and my youngest has been off and on until recently. The good news is , I am now on good terms with both but unfortunately mainly due to my eldest notifying me that he has been diagnosed with Bowel Cancer. My partner and me decided we needed to consider if possible for me to go back to UK.
I was registered as Disabled and received the Mobility level of DLA. That payment obviously stopped some weeks after I arrived here. For the past 7 years I have been living on my State Pension.
The idea of moving back to the UK took on more urgency as , as well as having breathing problems , I have now been told that i have the early stages of Glaucoma in my left eye and and swollen optic nerve in my right eye from which I have only 20% vision.
So I apologies for the long intro but i wanted to paint an accurate picture before asking advice or opinions which I am sure I will value.
So to my dilemmas :-
1/ Will i still be registered as disabled when I return to UK
2/ I will have to be independent of my Sons due to his condition as I want to support him and not hinder him , and my youngest is unstable as regards work and financially, so I need to find rented accommodation that I can afford on a State Pension. I have to decide on Halifax or Manchester where my Sons live.
3/I wont be able to afford to bring my partner or her Daughter with me so separation for a time in inevitable, very sad for all of us, but a fact. We are hoping I can send for her in the future, so she can work in the UK and help me also.
4/What assistance (financial and practical help) can I expect as mobility and simple chores etc are sometimes difficult especially now my eyesight is poor.
5/ I will have to reregister with a doctor. One of the reasons for moving back is , as my health is getting worse, I cant afford the medical treatment here on a British Pension. No NHS here . If hospital visit is required proof of being able to pay is required on entry otherwise they turn you away if no insurance.
I realise most arrangements will have to be done once I am in the UK, but any advice , suggestions or support will be most welcome. I am out of touch with most things in UK having lived here for so long and I don't want to arrive in UK without trying to be a little prepared before I leave here.
Apologies again for the long post . I promise to be more concise in future posts.
Thank you for reading and look forward to any comments you may make.
Malcolm

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Comments

poppy123456

This is a very complex situation. When moving back to the UK from abroad like this you will not be able to claim Attendance Allowance (disability benefit) until you've lived in the UK for 2 out of the past 3 years. See link. https://www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance/eligibility

There's no such thing now as being registered disabled. You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. https://www.gov.uk/definition-of-disability-under-equality-act-2010

It's unlikely you will be housed through social housing. Ideally you should make sure you have somewhere to live before returning. Privately renting maybe possible but relying on benefits to help with any rent, this won't be easy because a lot of landlords refuse benefits tenants. Those that will accept them could ask for a guarantor.

There's lots of information here regarding returning to the UK from abroad. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/returning-to-the-uk

Malc1311

Thank you Poppy. I will check out the links you gave me. Appreciated

L_Volunteer

Have you managed to check out the links yet @Malc1311? If so, I am just wondering if you would like to share a little more with us about how this has gone for you and if there's anything else we can do to help. How are you coping with everything at the moment? Please don't hesitate to let us know if there's anything else we can do to help

poppy123456

woodbine said:

As you are over UK pension age the only possible additional benefit might be AA but that has no mobility part.

AA can only be claimed if they've lived in GB for 2 out of the last 3 years. There's also housing benefit for help with any rent, if they will be renting their home and pension credit. (depending on their circumstances). However, after returning from abroad for this length of time then the process is complicated.

poppy123456

Yes i know you said "might" but that's the issue, there will be no entitlement until they've lived in the UK for 2 out of the past 3 years. (this does not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status)

Unless they are claiming through end of life, with 12 months or less left to live.

Malc1311

Thanks for your comments , very much appreciated.
I know it may seem strange that I am " abandoning" my family here in the Philippines, but that is simply not the case.
The family structure 'more so blood relations' is paramount here for Filippinos and is what society here is built on. Most foreigners when they take on a Filippina wife or partner find hard to understand, That's why , as soon as we heard my eldest Son had been diagnosed with Bowel Cancer and after being estranged from me for many years , but contacting me to let me know, IT WAS MY PARTNERS IDEA I SHOULD RETURN TO UK.
Shortly after this bombshell I was diagnosed with the onset of Glaucoma in my left eye resulting in blurred vison and a swollen optic nerve in my right eye resulting in only approximately 20% vision in that eye . I have check ups with optical specialist and Neurologist after an MRI scan and am on regular medication. All medication here needs to be paid for and is expensive as is all visits to doctors and MRI scan etc. On a British Pension with a partner and her daughter to support this is not affordable. After a bout of Pneumonia during the covid period I also have breathing issues when doing even simple tasks from time to time.
Therefore I have 2 major reasons to return to the UK. MY partner has been taking care of me and unable to work because of this. If i am not here, she can try to support herself and is willing to do so , but we do hope that we can find someway to get over to the UK to continue to look after me, she would look for work ( she's worked abroad before} but we realize that this is going to be difficult and complicated.
So you see, I won't be abandoning my family here simply placing on hold with a view to all our lives being a little easier and spending time with my Son.
I understand your comments and the reason for them so that's why I have gone into detail on this issue.
Thanks again for all your input

Malc1311

I would like to also add that I am not a freeloader or after handouts that I am not entitled to and quite prepared to try to manage on my pension when back in the UK. I have worked all my life from the age of 13 with PT jobs and full time work in construction with my own business and when I came to the Philippines my situation was very different to what it is now, but i realize that I have lost contact with how things operate in the UK after being away for so many years and the thought of returning is quite daunting but totally unavoidable. Thus my reason for asking advice.
I have even passed a Teaching English Online Course here which I hope I can still use if my eyes improve or certainly don't get any worse, but I know that is looking unlikely. Still I can hope.
Thanks again.
Malc

Jimm_Alumni

I understand your concerns @malc1311 but we're very understanding here. I don't think anyone thinks you're abandoning your family. I know if my partner had a child from a former relationship who became ill with cancer I would be pushing them to go support their child and be there for them.

Also, while it can be a mindset in parts of the British population, we don't think anyone struggling is a freeloader. People need help and that is what benefits are for. Your case is quite a difficult one to work out but you should get every help you deserve to have.

I just wanted to clarify that nobody thinks badly of you in this situation, it's a difficult one to deal with and we will try to find you the information and support you need.

Have you considered reaching out to Turn2Us or Citizen's Advice? If calls would charge extra they have options for email contact.

You could also use Turn2Us' adviser search to look for organisations specifically near where your sons live to see what support they could offer?

Malc1311

Thank you for your kind words and advice. I haven't reached out yet to the people you mentioned but I will.
I appreciate your and everyone's input whether negative or positive. Thanks again

poppy123456

I don't think anyone was accusing you of anything at all. Do you have somewhere to live when you move back here? If not then that in itself isn't going to be easy at all.