British Pensions Abroad | Ian from England

The New to Canada Podcast

If you’ve ever worked in the United Kingdom (no matter what nationality you are), you have paid into the UK State Pension.

Once you move away, say to Canada, you might think that those payments are simply lost, or like me, you’re unsure what can even be done from overseas…

Good news is, I’m joined in this episode by Ian Andexser, a fellow Brit in Canada and chairman of the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners (CABP).

He’s here to shed light on how you can “buy back” missing years of contributions since moving abroad and still receive a good payout when you reach pension age - Despite no longer living in the UK!

Ian also discusses the ongoing “frozen” pension issue, a problem that is costing pensioners in Canada hundreds of thousands of pounds, as well as the ways that CABP is lobbying the UK government for change.

You don’t want to miss:

• Ian’s story of hitch-hiking across Canada as a tourist in the 1970s and then falling in love with his Canadian wife of 46 years.
• His life today in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island.
• The basics: What is a UK State Pension, who qualifies for one and how do you get one.
• How to “buy back” missing years that you haven’t paid into the UK pension scheme since moving to Canada.
• Ian’s real-life example: How he retroactively paid $3,000 to now get $10,500 per year from the British government.

PLUS, the fight against non-indexation of pension payments based on a pensioner’s country of residence - and an optimistic look to the future.

Links & Resources:

• Join the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners & learn how you can manage your pension: britishpensions.com/
• Check your State Pension age: https://www.gov.uk/state-pension-age
• Sign the Change.org petition here to support the fight against frozen pensions.
• Join the New to Canada Academy: Learn more
• Download my 50 free tips from newcomers to Canada: What they wish they knew before they moved! https://thenewcomercollective.com/canada-tips/
• Follow me on Instagram: @TheNewcomerCollective
• For more about us and what we do, check out our website: TheNewcomerCollective.com