Benefits and NZ residents

[BrightSparkles]

Just wondering if NZers that are Pemenant Residents here are eligible for benefits?
DH moved over in March 2001 and has lived here ever since. He is eligible for tax/medicare/superannuation etc so i'm curious to know if he eligible for centrelink stuff too?

[squidipa]

is he a citizen then yep??? my hubbie is not a cit and been here for years we cant afford citizenship and he dont work so i support him off my partnered payment. Its blinkin hard and tough with 5 kids

[BrightSparkles]

is he a citizen then yep??? my hubbie is not a cit and been here for years we cant afford citizenship and he dont work so i support him off my partnered payment. Its blinkin hard and tough with 5 kids

HIs the same - we can't afford the citizenship thing....I get FTB/BB. I was just curious.

[squidipa]

hopefully i am wrong and someone can tell us how to claim and what to

[LimeSlice]

If he is a Permanent Resident by immigration status - ie, applied for it, paid for it and was accepted - then yes, they are entitled to full CLink Benefits.

However, if he is simply permanently living here like NZers are entitled to without visa etc, then they are entitled to nothing.
There are also not entitled to take their Superannuation early if the leave Australia permanently like every other nationality is But the government has no problem taking their tax dollars lol

[LimeSlice]

YOU as an Australian citizen though are still enitled to FTB/PP - but his income etc is still taken into account.



ETA: There IS a difference between being a CITIZEN and being a PERMANENT RESIDENT - one require him to renounce his NZ Citizenship, the other does not.
It costs about $2000 to apply for PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS.

[Feijoa Mum]

DH and I are NZers and have been living here since 2006.
We get family tax A and B and starting receiving this as soon as we applied.
DH works full time and I am a SAHM.
We were worried a few months back when DHs work was slowing right down and they were laying people off. I rung and asked if we were elligle for parenting payments should he be made redundant and we were. Thankfully his job was safe so we didnt have to worry about it.
Give them a ring and ask. Hopefully you get a helpful one and they will steer you straight

[Artechim]

I am an NZer and was entitled to FTB when I was in Australia when my DS was born. Australia and NZ have a reciprocal arrangement for health and welfare. There is a 6 month (I think) stand down before you can get the dole and other benefits, but after that time you are eligible for all benefits. A NZer automatically has Permanent Residence, it does not need to be applied for. It is also only a few hundred to become a citizen, not the thousands for other nationalities.

Australia and NZ do not make you renounce your original citizenship to become a citizen.

[squidipa]

I am an NZer and was entitled to FTB when I was in Australia when my DS was born. Australia and NZ have a reciprocal arrangement for health and welfare. There is a 6 month (I think) stand down before you can get the dole and other benefits, but after that time you are eligible for all benefits. A NZer automatically has Permanent Residence, it does not need to be applied for. It is also only a few hundred to become a citizen, not the thousands for other nationalities.

Australia and NZ do not make you renounce your original citizenship to become a citizen.

we had cenetrlink ring up on our behalf and find out costs of cit and there were several payments to become one in total it was over 2000. Every time i go to centerlink i ask can dh claim any beinifts to be told NO. i wish he could at times.

[diannescruffy]

DH is not an Australian Citizen and he receives payments from Centrelink, he is a permanent resident though.

Regards,
Dianne

[LimeSlice]

DH is a Kiwi - and NO he is not automatically gratned Permanent Resident Status becaue of that.

He is also NOT entitled to ANY sort of unemployment or CLink benefit, aside from FTB.

We have been down that road several times and he MUST apply for officlal Perm Res Status (and be approved) to get any form of benefit.

[Artechim]

My mistake! I guess it is lucky I never needed any benefits then, cos I would have been out of luck!

But I did only pay about $200 when I applied for citizenship? Weird.

[onthefly]

Stupidly, we went via a spouse visa to try and fast-track permanent residency and paid about $2000. Still had to wait 2 years though.
It is possible to have dual citizenship, but yes you need to apply for permanent residency through the immigration office.

[briggsy's girl]

there is a date in place (can't recall it from the top of my head) after which the rules changed for NZ attempting to claim c'link benefits. prior to that date, you could fly in today and claim unemploymnet etc today. after that date, a whole different set of rules applied. as i said, i can't recall the date, or the exact rules as residency stuff isn't something i deal with a lot, but all you can do is try and see what happens...

FTB and income support payments have very different rules as to claiming

[squidipa]

yep and we are after that date

[LimeSlice]

Yep, we must be too Squid! lol

[e_p]

there is a date in place (can't recall it from the top of my head) after which the rules changed for NZ attempting to claim c'link benefits. prior to that date, you could fly in today and claim unemploymnet etc today. after that date, a whole different set of rules applied. as i said, i can't recall the date, or the exact rules as residency stuff isn't something i deal with a lot, but all you can do is try and see what happens...FTB and income support payments have very different rules as to claiming

February 26 2001 is when the rules changed - everyone who arrived from NZ after this date is subject to the same rules as arrivals from any other country.

NZ citizens may still be entitled to claim FTB in Australia.

[LimeSlice]

Hubby arrived beginning of March 2001...