Destitute in the UK

Charities providing emergency food supplies to people with a limited immigration status known as “no recourse to public funds” have expressed concern at the prime minister’s refusal to offer support to a group pushed into destitution by the lockdown.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the UK have an immigration status that allows them to work here but prevents them from accessing most benefits should they become unemployed. Many have lost their jobs because of the Covid-19 pandemic and are struggling to feed their families and pay rent; many face losing their homes once restrictions on evictions are lifted.

MPs have attempted to push this issue on to the political agenda in the past fortnight. During questions from the liaison committee 10 days ago, the prime minister appeared to be uncertain about the details of this status. Informed about a Children’s Society estimate that there are more than 100,000 children in this situation, with no safety net, he said: “We will see what we can do to help.”

Zoe Gardner, a policy adviser with the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said she felt the prime minister had not understood the gravity of the situation facing many with this immigration status. “His response suggested that he believes NRPF is some kind of minor technicality, but we see the real world consequences it has every day.

“Contrary to what the PM said, NRPF bars most migrants from accessing a vast proportion of the social security net we all rely on in times of crisis. They are barred from universal credit, disability allowances, local authority homelessness support, free school meals and access to mainstream refuges for victims of domestic violence, among others.

“The reality is this leaves many thousands in extreme poverty and unable to escape debt or access decent housing or provide for their families’ most basic needs.”

Officials were unable to say how many people have been issued visas with this status or how many people have applied for this exemption, and were unable to reveal the number of people who have been granted an exemption.

Charities supporting people with this immigration status say getting an exemption is extremely difficult because it requires individuals to prove that they are destitute.

In east London, volunteers have been feeding hundreds of families unable to buy food because work has dried up. Lakmini Shah, a Labour councillor in East Ham, where about 57% of the population were born outside the UK, has been distributing boxes of food and essential items donated by businesses to about local 40 families every week since the end of March.

“There’s a perception that immigrants come here to get benefits from the government and that’s not true. These are people who have always worked but who lost their employment as soon as lockdown began, and that’s when their difficulties began,” Shah said. “Most people feel too embarrassed to talk about this and they don’t know where to go for help. Everyone is worried about how they are going to pay the rent.”

The joint council, along with over 40 migrants’ right organisations, has called for the government to scrap the no recourse to public funds status.

Visa renewals for a family of five cost about £12,000, which must be paid every two-and-a-half years, until they are eligible to apply for British citizenship, after a process that lasts 10 years.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/07/coronavirus-lockdown-charities-raise-alarm-as-thousands-face-poverty