The No Recourse to Public Funds Action Group
We are a group of migrants fighting for equality, justice and fairness for all. But above all, we are human beings. We come together to tackle inequality created by the No Recourse to Public Funds rule. We have lived experience of this policy, this is why we campaign against it. It opposes human dignity.
The treatment we are receiving is the consequence of hostile immigration policies, including the No Recourse to Public Funds condition. These ignore our humanity and are putting people’s mental and physical health at risk. We want to be treated fairly, we have human rights too. We want to support other people affected by this rule and stop the ill-treatment of migrants. We want to change the laws and the political system to a human rights-based system. We want to end the no recourse to public funds policy.
You can read more about how the policy impacts people in the manifesto which we co-produced.
What is No Recourse to Public Funds?
No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is a government policy which means you are denied access to any kind of welfare safety net, even if you’re working for very low pay, on a zero hours contract or facing a crisis, like having an accident at work.
The consequences of this policy are devastating: it traps individuals and entire families into cycles of poverty, pushes people into homelessness and leaves children hungry. It targets migrant communities who are mostly communities of colour and further reinforces existing structural inequalities and patriarchal structures, disproportionately impacting single mothers, children of colour and people with disabilities.
“It’s mostly Black and Asian migrants and their children who suffer from the impact of the no recourse to public funds policy. 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? ”