If you have a residence permit that allows you to live in the UK, it may include the immigration condition that you have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). NRPF means you will not be able to claim most benefits, tax credits or housing support that are paid by central government.

NRPF is a condition which applies to people who are subject to immigration control in the UK, unless an exception applies.

This includes Non-UK nationals granted permission to:

• visit
• study
• work
• join family in the UK

A person in this position should not automatically be refused a service without further investigation into their circumstances to make sure that they are not wrongly denied a service they may be entitled to.

Who is affected

People with NRPF are at high risk of homelessness because they cannot access mainstream housing, welfare benefits and employment.

EEA nationals are required to meet the eligibility requirements in order to be able to claim welfare benefits and housing support.

The following categories of people will also have no recourse to public funds:

• people who stay beyond the end of their visa
• asylum seekers
• ‘appeal rights exhausted’ (ARE) asylum seekers

Visas and immigration paperwork

If there is no mention of NRPF on a person's residence permit (visa), it means that they do have recourse to public funds.

However if NRPF appears on a person’s visa, it means that they would not have access to:

• local authority housing
• local authority homelessness assistance
• most welfare benefits provided by the DWP

This person is not allowed to claim most benefits, but this does not mean that they have no other rights or entitlements. This includes access to benefits that are not considered public funds for the purposes of immigration.

How to challenge or appeal NRPF

There may be times where this can be challenged or appealed, you should get immigration advice before doing this.