Queen Nwabueze
Is there really free money or public service in the UK? Yes, there is.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAnyone who has looked into applying for a UK visa will most likely be familiar with the phrase “no recourse to public funds”. This restriction is always highlighted in information relating to visa applications, but the truth is that you do have access to these public funds if you’re an immigrant in the UK.
What Are Public Funds?
The term, ‘Public funds’ refers to most benefits, tax credits and housing assistance provided by the UK government. These benefits are often given to people on a low income. The following public funds are not available to immigrants in the UK:
- Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
- Income support
- Child tax credit
- Universal credit
- Working tax credit
- Social fund payment
- Child benefit
- Housing benefit
- Council tax benefit
- Council tax reduction (Council tax support)
- Domestic rate relief (Northern Ireland)
- State pension credit
- Attendance allowance
- Severe disablement allowance
- Personal independence payment
- Carer’s allowance
- Disability living allowance
- Discretionary welfare payment
- Income-based employment and support allowance
UK Public Funds For Migrants
Here are some public funds that migrants have the right to access:
- State-funded schooling: All children of school-going age in the UK have the right to attend state schools free of charge. This, of course, excludes children who are just visiting the UK for a short period of time. This means that if you relocate to the UK for an extended period of time, your child will have the right to attend a state-funded UK school, free of charge.
- Joint claims: There are certain benefits that couples can claim jointly in the UK. If one person in a couple is subject to certain immigration controls, this does not affect their ability to claim these benefits.
- Child Benefit. You can claim child benefits if:
- You have been granted permission to enter or remain in the UK, provided that someone is responsible for your financial maintenance and accommodation.
- You are a citizen of a state with which the UK has concluded a Trade and Continuity Agreement providing for equal treatment of workers in the field of social security or access to family benefits for workers and members of their families legally resident in the UK.
- You are an EEA citizen and / or the family member of one protected by the Citizens’ Rights Agreements.
- You are a national of, or are someone who has come to live in the UK from, a country that has a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK which covers Child Benefit.
- You were entitled to Child Benefit before October 1996 and you are subject to immigration control.
- State housing: Many people move to the UK and end up working in the public sector. A benefit of working in the public sector is that, although you are still subject to immigration control, you are eligible to receive housing assistance without this counting as a public fund.
