Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies on (a) no recourse to public funds, (b) right to work checks and (c) the offence of illegal working under section 34 of the Immigration Act 2016, of the findings of the report entitled We Are Here: Routes To Regularisation For The UK’s Undocumented Population, published by The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants in April 2021.

No recourse to public funds (NRPF) has been a long-standing condition applied to those staying here with temporary immigration status and those without lawful status in order to protect public funds. This reflects the need to maintain the confidence of the general public migration to the UK is not based on access to public services and welfare benefits paid for by UK taxpayers.

The ability to work illegally is a key driver of illegal migration; it encourages people to break our immigration laws and provides the practical means for people to remain in the UK without status. It encourages people to take risks by putting their lives in the hands of unscrupulous people smugglers and leaves them vulnerable to exploitative employers. Right to work checks are an important part of our efforts to tackle illegal working.

We welcome feedback and regularly engage with stakeholders on a wide range of issues, including regularisation of undocumented migrants. We have therefore noted the recommendations made by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.