"I don't know where to go, I just cry": how the cost of living crisis is hitting people in the immigration system
As the weather warms up and newspapers fill with stories about inflation dropping below 10% for the first time in almost a year, it’s easy to breathe a sigh of relief and hope that the cost of living crisis is over.
Sadly, although the Government would like you to think this as they pare back help with the cost of living, this is far from true. Many prices remain stubbornly high, with food prices eye-wateringly so and expected to increase even more over the summer. People whose incomes are already low are already struggling after a very difficult winter, and will continue to do so even as fuel prices drop because they spend a greater proportion of their incomes on basics like food.
Here at Praxis, we’re particularly concerned about how many of the people we work with are faring. Most are already denied access to welfare benefits by the cruel No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition policies, even if they are living in poverty or experience some sort of crisis. This group has received little help since the outset of the cost of living crisis because the Government has excluded them from the support that’s available to more vulnerable households, such as families with low incomes, people living with disabilities and the elderly – even if they fall into one of these categories.
Our research demonstrates that people in this group are seriously struggling. Two thirds of people said they’re struggling to afford enough food to feed their children, while nearly 3 in 5 say they’ve already been forced into debt just to afford the cost of basic essentials – almost three times as many as amongst the UK population as a whole.
Inadequate and limited support available for people with NRPF
We compared the level of support available to two identical households, one affected by the NRPF condition and one not. Our analysis found that the household entitled to benefits will receive £11,071 worth of support in 2023-2024, of which cost of living payments and support are worth £1,095. For the household affected by NRPF, this is just £195 in total. Overall, a “non-NRPF” household will receive five times more in cost of living support than a household affected by NRPF this year. If all government support, including benefits, is taken into account, the “non-NRPF” household receives fifty times more support.
Someone with NRPF who is struggling with their bills can’t get any cash support. The only help they get at the moment is through the Energy Price Guarantee (government action that limits the amount energy suppliers can charge per unit of energy, which limits the average household energy bill to £2,500 per year). Local Authorities also have pots of money through which they can give support to people struggling with the cost of living, but it’s currently very unclear if people with NRPF can apply for this support.
The detrimental impact on people
In April we asked people with NRPF with the cost of living crisis over the winter. Of the 96 people we spoke to:
Two thirds said they’re struggling to afford enough food to feed their children;
59% have been forced into debt to afford the costs of basic essentials – almost three times as many as the UK population as a whole;
Between a quarter and two fifths have fallen behind in paying their energy, rent or mortgage or other bills, compared to between 5% and 7% of the general population;
56% have been worried about becoming homeless during the winter of 2022-2023, with 1 in 10 reporting that they’d spent one night or more on the streets.
This is a pretty desperate picture. But two thirds said they had yet to receive any support with the cost of living from the Government. Instead, half are relying on charities, including foodbanks, to meet their most basic needs.
Amongst the general population, only 3% said they get support from charities. People with NRPF are also cutting back their spending on essential items, with more than half (52%) reporting reducing their spending on food and other essentials.
“My daughter is not getting what she needs, I can’t pay the rent or buy healthy food… and she’s aware of the difficulties we are going through. How are we going to manage?”
“I try to work longer and longer hours, but my pay is just not stretching far enough. I’m already in debt, it’s very difficult.”
What needs to change right now?
It doesn’t need to be this way. There are two key things that the Government needs to do right now:
Amend existing cost of living support schemes to actively include people affected by NRPF.
Provide more clarity to Local Authorities that people affected by NRPF are eligible for emergency support under the Household Support Fund and make sure that all councils are implementing this scheme in the same way.
Ultimately, the simplest and most efficient way of supporting people through the cost of living crisis would be to scrap the blanket use of the NRPF condition. This would mean that any household in crisis is able to access the welfare safety net if and when they need it.
More than 700 people have already asked their MP to urge the Government to take action to make cost of living support available to households with NRPF. Email your MP today and call for change!
You can read our full analysis and further research findings in this briefing.
