[linda]

My daughter is planning to relocate from the US to the Uk in the next year, she would like to live in or very near to London. She understands that she will need a company to sponsor her so that she can get her work visa. My question is... if she is working in the Uk full time, but is not a citizen of the UK will she be eligible for medical assistance? Also how difficult is it to find accessible rental housing in or near Londone?

[Trinity]

Hi Linda
I doubt she would be eligible for NHS treatment so would need some sort of health insurance. As for accessible housing the best options are the new developments in the Docklands, for example Canary Warf and surrounding areas, there are some lovely apartments along the Thames. Anywhere that has new build should be pretty accessible, the older buildings can be a bit of a nightmare though because of all the restrictions on old buildings prevents them being modified. If she is working in London then I would advise living in London. The public transport is pretty good although much of the tube is pretty inaccessible but the Docklands Light Railway, bits of the Jubilee line and the Thames ferry services are all good.
London is a pretty fun place to be!

[linda]

Thank you Trinity!
I know she wouldn't be eligible for the insurance you mentioned, she would have to be a citizen to be eligible for that. Do the employers there have medical insurances to offer their employees? or will she have to purchase her own private medical insurance. Here in the states employers offer medical insurances to their full time employees, I wasn't sure if it was the same there.

[Trinity]

I think it very much depends on the employer. Due to the way our health care system works it is not necessary for us to have additional insurance. Some companies certainly do offer it as part of their package, and if the company is international then I would expect it would be offered however you would need to check that out directly with them.

[linda]

trinity, on Jan 9 2009, 05:53 AM, said:

I think it very much depends on the employer. Due to the way our health care system works it is not necessary for us to have additional insurance. Some companies certainly do offer it as part of their package, and if the company is international then I would expect it would be offered however you would need to check that out directly with them.

Trinity,
Again thank you.

[JT80]

i agree with trin. at a guess i would say most companies with 50 plus employees will tend to have medical benefits, however, be aware that some policies will have an exemption clause for pre-existing medical conditions...so check the small print.
i live in a modern development just south of the river and there are lots of similar developments with level access, shops and parking etc. london is a fun place to live and lots of things to do.
pm me for more info if you want. jt

[Lucydog]

Actually I believe that once your daughter has been resident for 6 months and paid national insurance she will be able to have NHS treatment just like everyone else.

[Scribbler]

Any visitor from overseas would get emerency health cover. If someone dials 999 they don't say, "Sorry you're American so you don't get it".

Anyone paying Tax & National Insurance would get NHS Health Cover. Assylum Seekers get it, and they don't pay Tax or NI.

The best place to look for advice are the Government Websites. I know they are cutting down on Immigration from none EU Countries so your daughter would have to do a job that no one here could do.

I'm not a bigot but the system here works like this..... If she was a 1 legged gay from an ethnic and religous minority she'd get everything.

[Trinity]

This may be worth a look Linda, it's quite comprehensive Department of Health

Under the current Regulations, anyone who is engaging in employment with an employer who has his principle place of business in the UK, or who is a self-employed person whose principle place of business is in the UK is fully exempt from National Health Service (NHS) hospital charges in England. This exemption applies to your spouse, civil partner and children (under the age of 16 or 19 if in further education) if they are living with you in the UK on a permanent basis.

Please note that to be exempt from NHS hospital charges on this basis you must be in employment at the time you receive treatment. If you are here on a work visa but currently unemployed you will be charged for your treatment, unless you are otherwise exempt from charges.

Also under the current Regulations, anyone employed on a ship or vessel registered in the UK or anyone working offshore on the UK sector of the Continental shelf would be fully exempt from NHS hospital charges in England.

In common with those ordinarily resident in the UK, anyone who meets the criteria of ordinary residence or is exempt from charges for hospital treatment will have to pay statutory NHS charges, eg prescription charges, unless they also qualify for exemption from these, and will have to go onto waiting lists for treatment where appropriate.
The Regulations place a responsibility on individual hospitals to determine whether, in accordance with the Regulations, a patient is liable to be charged for treatment or not. In order to establish entitlement, hospitals can ask you to provide documentation that supports your claim that you intend to engage in employment in the UK. It is for you to decide what to supply, however examples of evidence could include:

* if not an EEA* national or Swiss national then must have a valid work permit or;
* if EEA national or Switzerland proof of nationality;
* proof that employment is based in UK, e.g confirmation from employer, or for self-employed invoices or receipts;
* proof of employment – e.g. recent letter from employer or contract of employment or current wage slip, for self employed invoices or receipts.

* Nationals from Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia will also need to be registered on the workers registration scheme. Nationals from Bulgaria and Romania must also a valid work permit.
Regardless of residential status or nationality, emergency treatment given at primary care practices (a GP) or in Accident and Emergency departments or a Walk-in Centre providing services similar to those of a hospital Accident and Emergency department is free of charge.

In the case of treatment given in an Accident and Emergency department or Walk-in Centre the exemption from charges will cease to apply once the patient is formally admitted as an in-patient (this will include emergency operations and admittance to High Dependency Units) or registered at an outpatient clinic.
Any person living here lawfully and on a settled basis is regarded as resident in the UK and therefore entitled to free primary medical services. On taking up residence in the UK it is advisable to approach a GP practice and apply to register onto its list of NHS patients. The practice may choose to accept or decline your application. An application may be refused if the practice has reasonable grounds for doing so, such as if you are living outside their practice area. A practice would not be able to refuse your application on the grounds of race, gender, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability or medical condition.
If you are not ordinarily resident or exempt under the regulations, charges will apply for any hospital treatment you receive and cannot be waived. If this is the case you are strongly advised to take out private healthcare insurance that would cover you for the length of time you are in the UK. There is no facility to purchase healthcare insurance from the NHS therefore any necessary insurance must be organised privately.

[linda]

You all have been very helpful, thank you!

My daughter has planned a trip to London in May of this year. She will then investigate some areas for living as well as visiting the medical department there. She's not looking for free assistance in any way, she is willing to work. She just needs to know what will be available to her when she makes the move there.

Also one more question... does any one have any idea how hard it may be for her to get a company to sponsor her. She does have a few things against her from the get go....1) she is a foreigner and 2) she is wheel chair user. Here in the US it is very difficult to get employment being a wheel chair user, company are not suppose to discriminate... however they do. They just find a legal loop hole such as... we will get back to you or you don't qualify for the position. Are there the same type of standards there, Is it difficult for wheel chair users to find employment?

[linda]

trinity, on Jan 11 2009, 08:02 AM, said:

This may be worth a look Linda, it's quite comprehensive Department of Health

Under the current Regulations, anyone who is engaging in employment with an employer who has his principle place of business in the UK, or who is a self-employed person whose principle place of business is in the UK is fully exempt from National Health Service (NHS) hospital charges in England. This exemption applies to your spouse, civil partner and children (under the age of 16 or 19 if in further education) if they are living with you in the UK on a permanent basis.

Please note that to be exempt from NHS hospital charges on this basis you must be in employment at the time you receive treatment. If you are here on a work visa but currently unemployed you will be charged for your treatment, unless you are otherwise exempt from charges.

Also under the current Regulations, anyone employed on a ship or vessel registered in the UK or anyone working offshore on the UK sector of the Continental shelf would be fully exempt from NHS hospital charges in England.

In common with those ordinarily resident in the UK, anyone who meets the criteria of ordinary residence or is exempt from charges for hospital treatment will have to pay statutory NHS charges, eg prescription charges, unless they also qualify for exemption from these, and will have to go onto waiting lists for treatment where appropriate.
The Regulations place a responsibility on individual hospitals to determine whether, in accordance with the Regulations, a patient is liable to be charged for treatment or not. In order to establish entitlement, hospitals can ask you to provide documentation that supports your claim that you intend to engage in employment in the UK. It is for you to decide what to supply, however examples of evidence could include:

* if not an EEA* national or Swiss national then must have a valid work permit or;
* if EEA national or Switzerland proof of nationality;
* proof that employment is based in UK, e.g confirmation from employer, or for self-employed invoices or receipts;
* proof of employment – e.g. recent letter from employer or contract of employment or current wage slip, for self employed invoices or receipts.

* Nationals from Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia will also need to be registered on the workers registration scheme. Nationals from Bulgaria and Romania must also a valid work permit.
Regardless of residential status or nationality, emergency treatment given at primary care practices (a GP) or in Accident and Emergency departments or a Walk-in Centre providing services similar to those of a hospital Accident and Emergency department is free of charge.

In the case of treatment given in an Accident and Emergency department or Walk-in Centre the exemption from charges will cease to apply once the patient is formally admitted as an in-patient (this will include emergency operations and admittance to High Dependency Units) or registered at an outpatient clinic.
Any person living here lawfully and on a settled basis is regarded as resident in the UK and therefore entitled to free primary medical services. On taking up residence in the UK it is advisable to approach a GP practice and apply to register onto its list of NHS patients. The practice may choose to accept or decline your application. An application may be refused if the practice has reasonable grounds for doing so, such as if you are living outside their practice area. A practice would not be able to refuse your application on the grounds of race, gender, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability or medical condition.
If you are not ordinarily resident or exempt under the regulations, charges will apply for any hospital treatment you receive and cannot be waived. If this is the case you are strongly advised to take out private healthcare insurance that would cover you for the length of time you are in the UK. There is no facility to purchase healthcare insurance from the NHS therefore any necessary insurance must be organised privately.

Great site! thank you for pointing it out.

[Mark_gg_daniels]

Hey

i would highly recomend looking at the NHS websitee, ot department od heath. Also try Direct.gov.uk which has a lot of info about public services in UK.

The NHS in general is not concerned with money, so as a guess I would say she would be able to receive treatment if she was legally here. They wont ask for a passport at Accident and Emergency!

[cate]

scribbler. loved you r reply so true. Linda. no one is refused treatment on our NHS, and if she is working she will be covered. but check the site outs. We do have a policy that firms shoud employ disabled people, cannot remember how the ratio works out, also they keep moving the goal post and it is some years since I have been involved, but unfortunately not always working out. if you go back on old post you will find some peoples expericences, not always good. try Lucydog and kewlcats.
best of luck to your daughter.
Milock has not been on here for sometime. but he should be able to help, as he now lives in london but as spent his time in American and then hungary (I think), spo he should be able to offer info.
Cate