If you are subject to “No Recourse to Public Funds”

If you have the No Recourse condition on your visa and experience destitution, you might be eligible for a lift of the condition depending on the type of visa you have – for instance if you are on the 10 year pathway to settlement.

If you are an individual with specific care needs or a family with children facing destitution, you might be eligible for support from local authorities regardless of your immigration status (and whether or not you have a visa). If your status is not secured, you should first seek specialist immigration advice. We highly recommend you seek specialist advice before approaching local authorities for support.

As of 30 June 2021, European citizens without settled or pre-settled status may find they have No Recourse to Public Funds. Make sure you apply to the EU settlement scheme before this date and seek specialist immigration and/or benefits advice if you need it.

If you are seeking asylum, you might be entitled to access Asylum Support which could include cash payments and/or support with housing. We strongly recommend you seek specialist advice when applying for asylum and if you need advice on support available.

To speak with an adviser, you can call 020 7749 7608 or 020 7749 7605.

For more advice and resources please visit

  • The Unity Project

The Unity Project provides support to people who are facing extreme poverty and/or homelessness as a result of their immigration status and the systemic discrimination behind it. Specifically, they assist destitute people with ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ (NRPF).

For more information, please visit this page. To get in touch with them, visit this page.

  • Project 17

Project 17 works with families experiencing exceptional poverty to improve their access to local authority support.

To get in touch, please visit this page.

  • Hackney Migrant Centre

Hackney Migrant Center supports all migrants in need through the provision of free advice on immigration, welfare and health.

For more information please visit this page.

  • Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network

LRMN mostly supports people from refugee, asylum seeker and migrant backgrounds, who are facing destitution, homelessness or have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).

To get in touch, please visit this page.

  • Maternity Action

Maternity Action is a charity dedicated to promoting, protecting and enhancing the rights of all pregnant women, new mothers and their families to employment, social security and health care.

For more information please visit this page.

  • Southall Black Sisters

Southall Black Sisters provides advice surgeries specifically for women of colour/migrant women who have experienced gender-based violence.

For more information please visit this page.

  • Shelter

Shelter provide support to people struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support, and legal services.

  • Rights of Women

Providing women with free, confidential legal advice by specialist women solicitors and barristers, including on immigration and asylum.

For more information please visit this page.

  • Coram Children’s Legal Centre helpline

Coram Children’s Legal Centre promotes and protects the rights of children in the UK and internationally.

For more information please visit this page.

  • Public Interest Law Centre

The Public Interest Law Centre exists to challenge injustice through legal representation, strategic litigation, research and legal education.

For more information please visit this page.

For a more comprehensive list of charities who provide support (in London), please visit this page.