Brunei: Unit Welfare - Updated Families Arrival Guide for 2RGR

This guide has been produced to help people settle into the local area and give ideas of what is available locally and throughout the County of Kent or nearby. 

Whilst it is primarily intended for soldiers and dependants of the 2nd Bn Royal Gurkha Rifles, with many of the dependants living in the UK and the Folkestone & Dover area for the first time, there are elements of the Guide that may be of benefit to the families of other soldiers based in the wider Shorncliffe Station.

Please email HIVE at BruneiGar-SpSvcs-HIVE-Mailbox@mod.gov.uk for the Unit Welfare Arrival Guide.  

National Benefit Fraud Hotline - Restarted

The National Benefit Fraud Hotline (0800 854 440), which is a telephony service where citizens can report allegations of fraud has been resurrected from Monday 11 April. It was paused due to Covid approximately 2 years ago. Citizens can make a report anonymously - you do not have to give your name or contact details unless you want to.​

New Pension Credit campaign by DWP

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a new campaign calling on pensioners, and their friends and family, to check eligibility for Pension Credit. The campaign begins with social and digital channels in April, with national/regional newspaper advertising to follow in the coming months.

Pension Credit gives pensioners extra financial support with living costs if they are on a low income. More than 1.4 million pensioners in Britain claim it but new figures show many more could be missing out. For further advice and guidance see the Pension Credit Toolkit. ​

DWP changes to the Special Rules process for End of Life allowances

The Government has changed the Special Rules process for Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance. DWP will now consider a claimant to be terminally ill if due to their health condition or disability they have a life expectancy of less than 12 months (the current definition is 6 months life expectancy).

People can now make a claim under Special Rules for Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance in the final 12 months of their life. Special Rules allow people who have less than 12 months to live to make a fast-tracked claim to benefits without needing to have a medical assessment. In most cases, they will also get the highest rate of benefit. For more guidance see: Special Rules for End of Life factsheet.

​Similar changes are planned for Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance.

DWP Bereavement Service Helpline

From 11 April 2022, the way citizens contact DWP Bereavement Services has changed. Citizens will now be able to access the following bereavement services through a single phone number 0800 151 2012:​

• Report a death, provide information and find out what support is available following a bereavement

• Make a new or, manage an existing claim for Bereavement Benefit or Bereavement Support Payment

• Make a new or, manage an existing claim for Funeral Expenses Payments

• Request State Pension updates following the death of a spouse or civil partner

Shorncliffe Nursey Requirement: Child's Birth Certificate

A special request for 2 RGR families who are looking to use Shorncliffe Nursery. We ask those families to bring their children’s birth certificates with them when they fly (not in ISO container sea freight)

The Nursery cannot register children without a birth certificate.

Brunei: Green Depot - your local recycling centre in KB

 

National Insurance relief for businesses when hiring Veterans

Businesses hiring military veterans can now save their firms thousands of pounds in employee National Insurance contributions, thanks to a scheme launched by the government's Office of Veterans' Affairs. From 6 April 2022, employers will not have to pay National Insurance contributions for veterans in their first year of civilian employment after leaving the armed forces. Businesses will also be able to claim this relief retrospectively for any qualifying employees who joined their company in the last 12 months. Further information can be found on the Government website here.

Service Family Hot Topics: UK immigration and wider support to Non-UK Army Personnel

Click here to view the document.

This newsletter contains advice and guidance to support Non-UK nationals (Commonwealth, Gurkhas and Nepali citizens serving in the wider Army) and their entitled family members and Non-UK entitled family members of a serving British Citizen.​

Please note that some of the links are to documents held on internal MOD systems only.

Changes to ILR settlement fees for non-UK Service Personnel

Currently non-UK Service Personnel (Commonwealth citizens, Gurkhas, Nepalese citizens who have transferred out of the Brigade of Gurkhas to serve in the wider Armed Forces, British Overseas Citizens, British Overseas Territory Citizens and British National (Overseas) citizens), must pay a settlement fee of £2,389 (FY21/22) when they apply to remain (settle) in the UK following their discharge from the UK Armed Forces.

Last year the Defence Secretary and the Home Secretary jointly launched a public consultation seeking views on a policy proposal to remove the charge for the settlement fee.

The policy proposal was to remove the charge for non-UK Service Personnel who had served in the Regular Armed Forces or the Brigade of Gurkhas for at least 12 years at their point of discharge and who had applied to settle in the UK after their Service or who had been discharged due to an attributable to Service illness or injury. Views were also sought on how the Government could support non-UK veterans who were living in the UK but who had not regularised their immigration status.

Over 6,000 responses to the consultation were received which reflected the significance many attach to this issue. After considering the consultation feedback, the Defence Secretary and Home Secretary have agreed to revise the policy. They are pleased to announce that the following policy will be implemented:

Providing all other Home Office requirements are met, non-UK Service Personnel who apply to remain in the UK will not have to pay the fee if they meet one of the following criteria:

• ​​​​have served at least six years at their point of discharge from service or

• are discharged on medical grounds with a condition attributable to service irrespective of their length of service.

or

• are a veteran who has served for at least six years, or was discharged on medical grounds with a condition attributable to service and is currently living in the UK and has not yet regularised their immigration status.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

“Last year we sought views from non-UK personnel about how we can best support and recognise their incredible contribution to the UK Armed Forces. I am delighted to announce that eligible personnel and veterans who have served for a period of six years or more, and wish to settle in the UK, will no longer have to pay the visa fee.

“It is only right that we have taken this important step to express our sincere gratitude to the brave men and women from outside of the UK who have made such a valuable contribution to the defence of this country.

“Today, it was a pleasure to meet personnel who will benefit from this change. I wish them all the best for the future.” 

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

“There are thousands of brave men and women across the Commonwealth who have served our country with distinction in the military over the years.

“Waiving the visa fee for those Commonwealth veterans and Gurkhas with six years’ service who want to settle here is a suitable way of acknowledging their personal contribution and service to our nation”.

The fee waiver is planned to come into effect this Spring once the necessary legislation has gone through the Houses of Parliament. Information relating to the application process will be published shortly.

Other options remain open to non-UK Service Personnel such as being able to make a paid application for Settlement in the UK upon discharge if they have served a minimum of four years. There is also no intention to amend the Citizenship Rules or fund the fees for Armed Forces personnel who choose to apply for naturalisation while serving or as veterans after they have had settled status for at least 12 months.

The Ministry of Defence and the Home Office work closely with non-UK citizens who serve in the UK Armed Forces to ensure they are fully aware of the support available for them and their families to settle in the UK. The new policy will improve this support even further.

Current support includes working with the Joining Forces Credit Union to offer financial advice, savings packages and loans to help personnel pay for visa costs.

A copy of the Government response to the public consultation can be found on the Gov.uk website and click on this link for a Q&A.

Please note that it was originally planned that the MOD would pay the Administrative Fee (£245) for each application, and that TLBs would need to set aside the money to fund this for their personnel. However, the Home Secretary agreed to absorb the whole cost (£2,389 FY21/22) so TLBs will not therefore be required to provide/set aside any funding. The ILR fee waiver for non-UK SP is effective from 6 Apr 2022.  

Army Learning and Development Portal - Military and Civil Servants

For those with access to ModNet, why not check out the Army L&D Portal, also available via JIVE on smartphones:

Search Learning and Development Portal via:

Group: Learning and Development Portal (Army) | Defence Connect (mod.uk)

Changes to Settlement fees for Non-UK Service Personnel

For more information click here ​or contact your local HIVE.

VIVO - Families Journey

Implementation of the settlement fee waiver

Following the joint announcement on 23 Feb by the Defence Secretary and the Home Secretary that the fee for Settlement (ILR/ILE) would be waived for eligible non-UK Service Personnel (SP) on discharge, the fee regulations have now been laid in Parliament and the waiver will come into effect on 6 April 2022.

To be eligible, non-UK SP applying on or after 6 Apr, must meet existing Home Office criteria and:

Have served for six years or more, or

Discharged with an illness or injury attributable to service – irrespective of length of service, or are
A veteran currently living in the UK who has not regularised their immigration status following six years or more of service or were discharged with an illness or injury attributable to service.

A Defence Instruction or Notice (DIN) will follow.

Accommodation - all you need to know about MOD Accommodation options

To find out all the details on UK MOD Accomodation Policy (SFA, SSSA & SLA) including the process of application, FAM, Forces Help to Buy, JSHAO, Contact Houses and much more, click here

Brunei: ISB International School March 2022

 

Click here for ISB International Schoool March 2022 Newsletter.