Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to recommendation 6 of her Department's Policy Equality Statement of 17 April 2020, when she plans to reissue that Policy Equality Statement on No Recourse to Public Funds so that it addresses the point relating to the impact on British citizen children.

The Home Office has published its policy equality statement on the impact of the No Recourse to Public Fund (NRPF) policy on migrants on the 10-year human rights route and specifically addresses the point relating to the impact on British children. It can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-change-of-conditions-of-leave-to-allow-access-to-public-funds-if-your-circumstances-change

The NRPF policy is based on the well-established principle that migrants coming to the UK are expected to maintain and support themselves and their families without posing a burden on the UK’s welfare system. Access to benefits and other publicly funded services reflects the strength of a migrant’s connections to the UK and is normally linked to indefinite leave to remain.

Individuals with leave under the family or private life routes, including those with British children, can apply for the restriction on accessing public funds to be lifted or not imposed if they are at risk of destitution or where there are concerns about the welfare of their child.