Living with Dignity:
Campaigning against no recourse to public funds
Everyone should be able to live in a safe home, feed their family and live free from exploitation – no matter who we are or where we come from. But the no recourse to public funds condition prevents many people from meeting these basic needs.
Together with a group of people with lived experience of the immigration system, we’re campaigning to put an end to this unfair policy and ensure everyone has access to a safety net when they’re in crisis.
Millions left unprotected
No recourse to public funds (NRPF) is a government policy which prevents people from accessing the social security system and most forms of government support when they’re in need. More than 2 million people in the UK are deprived of a safety net because of this policy.
For most people, it can take 10 years to secure a permanent right to stay in the country. During that time, they have “limited leave to remain” – with a no recourse to public funds condition applied systematically – whether they are studying, working, joining their partners or caring for their children. No recourse to public funds also applies to people who are undocumented. People seeking asylum are barred from accessing the welfare safety net as well, and can only receive a living allowance of just over £5 per day.
Trapped in destitution
The consequences of this policy are devastating: children go hungry, and people are trapped in extreme poverty. Many are forced into unsustainable debt, destitution and homelessness. It has a terrible impact on people’s mental and physical health – and this impact is long-lasting.
When parents struggle to provide for their families, children suffer. Many children who have grown up in the UK are left without support and security.
Listen to Esther, activist with lived experience and mother of four, on the impact it has on children.
A discriminatory rule
This policy targets migrant communities who are mostly communities of colour. It reinforces existing structural inequalities and disproportionately impacting single mothers, children of colour and people with disabilities. It prevents domestic violence survivors from access to life-saving support when they flee abuse. The pandemic has compounded the impact of this rule, hitting those who are deprived the support of a safety net the hardest.
“It’s mostly Black and Asian migrants and their children who are suffering from the impact of this policy, so it’s also about racial justice. People of colour have worked endlessly even throughout the pandemic, and have experienced a higher death rate. Yet we are the least recognised by people in power.
We give so much but get so little, how is this fair?”
Change is possible
This policy pushes migrant communities to the margins. It denies them support even when experiencing extreme poverty. But it does not have to be this way.
We can build a fair and inclusive society where no one is left behind. We can show solidarity and raise the voices of people fighting for their rights, for their children’s, and for survival.
And together, we can make sure the government abandons the no recourse to public funds rule, so that everyone can live safely, with dignity.