What exactly what do you need to know before moving across the Irish Sea?
. We speak the same language, watch a lot of British television and consume so much British news, but are things really as familiar and similar across the water as we might expect?In short, the answer is no. Irish citizens are free to live, work, study and access social benefits in Britain. And Irish citizens moving to Wales, England or Scotland are not required to register under the settled status scheme.
And, on the condition that a person has reached legal voting age and registered to vote in the relevant jurisdiction, Irish citizens living in Britain have the right to vote at local and parliamentary elections.You are going to need a national insurance number which is similar to a PPS number in Ireland. Your national insurance number is used to record your national insurance contributions and tax, as well as to access state benefits and housing benefits.
Local estate agents and property search websites are the way to go. It’s always worth trying to find out as much as possible about the local area beforehand, something which local estates agents may be able to assist with.are just some of the more popular websites used to search for available properties. Local newspapers can also be very helpful if you can access them.
Of course, moving country as a singleton or a couple is one thing. Uprooting a family and relocating to another country involves a whole lot of additional considerations, such as…If you’ve already experienced the crippling high costs and limited availability of childcare services in Ireland then things can only be better in Britain, right?
In Scotland, parents of 3 and 4-year-olds can avail of up to 30 hours a week, during term-time, of funded early learning and childcare. While in Wales, depending on the local authority, parents can also avail of up to 30 hours of early education and childcare, but those hours must be made up of at least 10 hours of early education. The childcare hours can be used in whatever manner suits best, including evenings or weekends, for up to 48 weeks of the year.
You can, of course, speak to the school or local authority if you’d prefer them to start in reception year instead – but be aware they don’t have to agree.