Author Topic: My retirement blog.  (Read 232866 times)

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #345 on: October 15, 2018, 06:00:07 pm »
Thanks Yman. Wife goes for her final ENT oncology appointments next month and then it will be a yearly PET scan for possible recurrence.

Our medical insurance was with Allianz via Medal brokers. The only medical insurance that keeps clients on after age 65. Our payment was about R1 200 pm for both of us. We dropped them when we saw the excellent state health care available to all residents for free other than a measly €2,50 per visit and almost free chronic medication.

My broker in SA is Momentum SP Reid and I have been with them for many years so I get 50% discount on brokerage fees.

I will post the real reasons as to why we are relocating to the UK later.

   
« Last Edit: October 15, 2018, 06:28:58 pm by Orca »
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #346 on: October 15, 2018, 07:17:37 pm »
It is now later and this topic will be ongoing.

We have decided to relocate to the UK due to the following:

Hardly anyone our age here understands English so we cannot make friends and learn Portuguese. The elders here had French as a second language in their school days. Now it is English.
You might say "use Babble" to learn. I did but it is not European Portuguese. Yesterday I went to buy sugar and came home with a bag of flour.

I have had a battle with the IRS about the exit tax paid to SARS since 2016 as the Lisbon HQ will not recognise the tax. My accountant was fighting with Lisbon but they insisted that I had to do so locally.

Not one tax official could understand a word of English here but I got the gist that I must find a local accountant to accompany me to their office. I found plenty here but not one could understand English. This leaves me with only one option and that is to flee the country. R220k tax burden that should be a tax loss is not good in my books.

Next episode later.

 
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #347 on: October 15, 2018, 09:15:46 pm »
Next episode.

The amounts quoted are in Euros when I'm talking Portugal and GBP when in the UK. All converted to ZAR.

We live in an upmarket 2 bed flat on the coast that is almost fully furnished. We pay R6 200 pm and have been paying this amount for over 4 years with no increase. Cheap....yes. The entrance looks like a marbled hotel foyer with luscius plants and elevators with mahogany wood.

Sounds great and cheap but it gets lonely.  Our kids have been to visit so many times that they have now tired of this beautiful city.

So now we have decided to assist our daughter to purchase a home on the "Rent to Purchase" scheme that the UK has and has a great discount, The discount is R337k on any purchase.

The home is valued at R4.6M after the discount and she only buys 30% and rents the rest. It is a 2 double BR with a garden and outhouses.

The rent will be R 4 300 pm and the mortgage will be R 6 600 pm. Total is R 10 900.
This seems high but considering that my daughter pays R 8 900 pm for a dingy one bed flat.

So we pay the rent and my daughter pays the mortgage. R 6 200  is what we pay now compared to R 4 300.

This is a win win situation,

Next will be immigration law at this stage of Brexit.

I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #348 on: October 19, 2018, 09:55:16 pm »
I am now so frustrated with the new UK rules that prevents us from joining our kids there. The UK has become the most difficult country in the world to migrate to by far.

This is even true for mainland European people. The rules have been changing on a daily basis as Theresa May struggles with no direction against Angela Merkel who by far outclasses her.

Boris Johnson noticed this and even though he resigned from government he now bobs his head in gov circles and the word is out that this Brexiteer is about to oust her.

This further frustrates my efforts to join my kids.

We now have to have Comprehensive Medical Insurance from day one to the end of the 5 year period when we can get permanent residency. Only then can we get NHS for free.

Now the bombshell. I had been paying R 1300.00 pm for medical insurance in Portugal for the 2 of us.

In the UK we would have to cough up R 8 000.00 pm and this is the cheapest I could find.

 
« Last Edit: October 20, 2018, 04:36:49 pm by Orca »
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

erwintwr

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #349 on: October 20, 2018, 02:54:47 pm »
ouch!!! that is half a bar, depending on your greatest enemy, GBP/ZAR exchange rate i assume?

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #350 on: October 20, 2018, 10:27:28 pm »
I think I have sorted myself out and I have a 50% chance of succeeding.

There are 2 rules in the EU for immigration.

1. If you or your spouse are not members of an EU country but have succeeded in getting employment in an EU country then EU regulations will not apply to you.
You will enter under the domestic immigration laws.

In the UK this will be applying for Temporary Residence on arrival. After 5 years you can request your Indefinite Leave to Remain certificate. It is your right and not a privilege. 

2. If you or your spouse is a member of any EU state then you may enter the UK and apply for a Residency Card like you would in any other EU country.
After 5 years you can request a Permanent Residency Card.

This is how it works in mainland Europe but not in the UK.

You can enter the UK using EU law and register for Temp Residence but before the 5 year term is up, the UK will no longer be a member of the EU and your application for residency will no longer apply as per the EU regulations. It will now be domestic law only.

If you have not had Comprehensive Medical Insurance then you are good as it is not required under domestic immigration laws.
 
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #351 on: October 26, 2018, 07:35:47 pm »
Two good news out today.

The mortgage on the UK property has been accepted. It is in what is known as The Garden of England. The Cotswold. Prince Charles has his farm and shop there. A very picturesque county with luscious greenery filled hills and dales. No wonder it has a price tag of R4.3 M for a 2 bed semi detached.

The Secretary of State has said he will waive the requirement for compulsory Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) soon. He has to as EU workers are frustrated and leaving in droves with the abounding rumours and fake news of arrests and deportations.

Many of these workers are in key posts such as nursing and hospitality has been particularly hard hit as locals are not inclined to do minimal salary jobs. Unemployment benefits are better.

So now we have to wait for my wife's eye surgery appointment and then we off once again. Hopefully we won't get deported as it is still a slight gamble.
I cannot go back to SA as my residency permit has expired. It expires automatically after an absence of 2 years.

We cannot go back to Portugal as our residency will expire next year. They will have to deport my wife back to SA and me to Finland. We will have to then have a Skype Marriage.  :LHST:   

 
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

andre

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #352 on: October 29, 2018, 09:17:36 am »
arguably the best type of marriage  ;D

Moneypenny

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #353 on: October 29, 2018, 10:38:31 am »
I cannot go back to SA as my residency permit has expired. It expires automatically after an absence of 2 years.

We cannot go back to Portugal as our residency will expire next year. They will have to deport my wife back to SA and me to Finland. We will have to then have a Skype Marriage.  :LHST:

 ???

Yman

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #354 on: November 07, 2018, 06:34:41 am »
Orca
Why will  your Portugal residency expire next year?

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #355 on: November 07, 2018, 04:10:13 pm »
In most EU countries you will get temporary residence for 5 years and if you renew it you will get permanent residency.
We have been here just over 4 years and if we relocate to the UK then we would not be able to renew our Portugal residency.
Also, residency expires after 2 years of absence if you have not become a citizen.
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

gcr

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #356 on: November 08, 2018, 10:19:31 am »
In most EU countries you will get temporary residence for 5 years and if you renew it you will get permanent residency.
We have been here just over 4 years and if we relocate to the UK then we would not be able to renew our Portugal residency.
Also, residency expires after 2 years of absence if you have not become a citizen.
Hi Orca - surely the move to the UK is going to be a problem for your family from a medical point of view i.e. moving countries would preclude you from availing yourselves of any free medical assistance and you would undoubtedly have to sit out a waiting period before getting benefits from the UK national health.
I imaging if this is the case you have trying times ahead of your family
Hoping that the move is fairly painless
Not everything that counts, can be counted, and, not everything that can be counted counts - Albert Einstein

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #357 on: November 08, 2018, 03:34:37 pm »
Yes it is a major concern of mine especially as my wife is a cancer survivor and must have 1 PET scan per year and 1 ENT Oncologist exam.

Nobody seems to know how the UK NHS will work after Brexit or even now for EU nationals. I suspect we will need a private sickness cover as we will not be working.

Working EU nationals would not need private insurance. Non EU members that will work need to pay a surcharge of £ 400.00 when applying for the visa.
A 5 year visa for a family of 4 non EU members will now pay £ 8 000.00 for the visa and it will include the surcharge.

UK immigration laws change so fast as negotiations advance so what I said yesterday may not apply tomorrow.

The home loan has been secured so there is no turning back. The present tenants have until end of January to move out.
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #358 on: January 03, 2019, 11:27:11 pm »
The latest news on Brexit is the following:

EU nationals and their non EU spouses can enter and live in the UK but can only register on the new online system from 29 March. They have until 30 June 2021 to enter and apply. Cost is €65 per applicant. No financial details will be asked and private medical insurance will apply. Once you have received pre settled status you will have access to state healthcare and social benefits.

Should the Brexit deal fail then you would have to enter before 29 March to get the above and the cutoff date will be 30 December 2020 to register.

Now that is only for EU citizens as the UK must still apply EU immigration regulations until the Brexit Transition Period ends on 30 June 2021 or 30 December 2020.

If you are a British national then it is a different kettle of fish. The UK government seems to dislike their citizens to import foreign spouses. Rightfully so as most are imported by settled Asians and north Africans that import all their relatives as dependants.

This applies to natural UK citizens too. No discrimination. UK citizens cannot apply the more lenient EU immigration regulations when resident in the UK or returning. The draconian domestic immigration laws will apply.

A UK citizen wishing to import a foreign spouse will have to earn at least £18 600.00 pa and if the application is from outside of the UK then the finances of the spouse will not be considered.

However, the spouse can enter the UK with a cheaper visit visa and apply from within the UK. Then both incomes and savings/investments will be considered.

The visa will cost about £1 400.00 (citation needed) and the surcharge on healthcare will be £400.00 per year for 5 years.

Sucks for British citizens.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2019, 11:30:23 pm by Orca »
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

Mr_Dividend

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #359 on: January 04, 2019, 08:51:32 am »
Just to add. If one is a brit citizen and spouse is not,  you can also get in with savings of £62500 - no retirement funds, pretty much cash only. Spouse will also have to do an English test (R3700) and TB test (R1800). Then you have to jump through a few hoops proving your marriage, where you staying ect.

If they deny you the visa - no reasons are given, you must reapply at a cost of £1500 a pop. We planning to use a specialist at an extra R8000 - want to get it right first time.

Can understand where they are coming from - but the cost seems exorbitant on not giving reasons for a declined visa is just wrong.