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Unemployemnt benefits when moving around
How does unemployment benefits work when you move from country to country? I am especially thinking of having it or not having it.
I might go to a country where its based on a minimum income earned, in Belgium it is based on days. What happens if I go to that country work and return to Belgium?
What is your question exactly? Which country offers the best unemployment benefits?
I think that the truth is that there isn't often any entitlement. Even the good old UK pretty hard to sign on these days and they have a massive unemployment benefits scheme. I think if you are unemployed and you move Be
Gum would think great off our books and the new country where that is would think not entitled as haven't paid in.
I stand to be corrected.
Belgium oohs
I believe you can claim based on contributions paid in another EU member state. How that works I have no idea. I know a British guy who was living in Belgium for 15 years on old family money, no tax paying work, who was astounded to find he was entitled to about 1300 Euro a month from the Belgian State.
I looked into this from interest when I first moved here and though I'm sure that the rules might have changed since then, in principle, you have to be entitled to unemployment benefits SOMEWHERE as a starting point.
For example, if you are entitled in UK and move elsewhere ***for the specific purpose of job hunting***, your entitlement continues. In Belgium your entitlement starts after having worked here for a set period of time but you are not entitled if you then decide to pack up and move elsewhere - you have to qualify by being dismissed, made redundant or whatever. The rules vary from country to country as does the length of time for which you have to be unemployed before you can claim anything but, in principle, made redundant = short wait, resign = long wait.
The basic principle of benefits is that you are entitled to them in one country. Your entitlement does not follow you around from one place to the next.
You can keep your benefits if you go "abroad" to look for a job for up to 3 months. Then, they stop. Your country of origin pays them.
You may be entitled to benefits in 2 countries:
- As a non-Belgian national, having worked here for long enough to have acquired permanent residency, I can claim Belgian unemployment or income support.
- As a UK national, I could move back to the UK and claim UK income support (but not unemployment benefit).
I know a Brit on Belgian unemployment benefits and he never worked a day there.
