Migrant Workers: Coronavirus

(asked on 23rd March 2020) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions the potential merits of extending eligibility to (a) statutory sick pay, (b) employment and support allowance and (c) universal credit to people with employment visas who have no recourse to public funds.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 21st April 2020

The Home Office is currently considering options for providing support to migrants with no recourse to public funds who are impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak.

As with other aspects of our response to this unprecedented situation, we will take a compassionate and pragmatic approach. We will liaise with other relevant Government Departments on this as necessary and will continue to review the situation to consider if more can be done.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will help firms continue to keep people, including workers with no recourse to public funds, in employment with the government paying 80% of furloughed workers wages up to a cap of £2,500.

There are a number of measures in relation to rent and mortgage protections, food vouchers, and protections for the homeless, all of which are not considered public funds.? Local Authorities may also provide basic safety net support if it is established that there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases.

Covid-19 has been added to the list of infectious diseases so anyone experiencing symptoms, regardless of their immigration status, will be treated for free.

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