For certain benefits, you must have lived in the UK for a set period before you can claim. For instance, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) requires a residency period. To access many other benefits or housing help, you need to demonstrate that the UK is your main home and you intend to stay here, known as being ‘habitually resident.’ This can be challenging if you've recently arrived unless you were living in Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man.

If you have refugee status or humanitarian protection, you do not need to meet these residency requirements.

You can always claim public funds if you have:

• British or Irish citizenship

• Settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme

• Indefinite leave (unless you came on an adult dependent relative visa)

• Refugee status or humanitarian protection
  
  

Right of abode

If you lack the right to be in the UK, you cannot claim public funds.

Pre-Settled Status from the EU Settlement Scheme

With pre-settled status, you can claim:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

• Attendance Allowance

• Carer’s Allowance
  
  

To claim other public funds, you usually need a 'right to reside.' After five years in the UK, you can switch to settled status and then claim public funds.

If you have an adult dependent relative visa, your family member had to sign a ‘maintenance undertaking’ to support you financially. With indefinite leave as an adult dependent relative, you cannot claim:

• Universal Credit

• Pension Credit

• Housing Benefit

• Tax credits

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

• Income Support

• Council housing or make a homeless application
  
  

These restrictions end five years after arrival or if the family member who signed the maintenance undertaking dies. You can still claim benefits like Personal Independence Payment or Attendance Allowance if eligible.

Check your biometric residence permit, Home Office decision letter, or online immigration status. If your documents state 'no public funds' or 'no recourse to public funds,' you cannot claim public funds. This applies to visitors, including those who entered via an eGate.

Your rights depend on whether you applied to extend or change your visa before it expired. If you applied in time, you retain the same rights as your previous visa. If not, you cannot claim public funds and must inform your benefits provider to stop payments.

If you're not allowed to claim public funds, you cannot access benefits such as:

• Universal Credit

• Pension Credit

• Child Benefit

• PIP

• DLA

• Attendance Allowance

• Carer’s Allowance

• Winter Fuel Payments

• Funeral Payments

• Sure Start Maternity Grants
  
  

You also cannot claim council-provided benefits like Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Discretionary Welfare Payments, and welfare assistance.

If you're not allowed to claim public funds, you cannot apply for council housing or make a homelessness application. However, key worker housing and certain housing provided under the Children Act or Care Act do not count as public funds.

If you apply for public funds when not eligible, your application will be refused. Future immigration applications might also be affected, and in rare cases, your visa could be terminated early.

If you can claim public funds but your partner or child cannot, some benefits may be unaffected. For instance, you can claim PIP, Attendance Allowance, and Carer’s Allowance for yourself. However, claiming benefits that increase due to a partner or child might impact their visa extensions or applications for indefinite leave.

Even if you can't claim public funds, you may still access:

• New style JSA or ESA

• State Pension

• Bereavement benefits

• Discretionary Council Tax reductions
  
  

You can also use public services like state schools and the NHS (unless you're a visitor).

You might apply to remove the 'no public funds' condition if:

• You can't afford basic living expenses

• Your child's welfare is at risk

• You face exceptional circumstances, such as disability-related costs

For non-partner, parent, or British National (Overseas) visas, you must show it's unreasonable to return to your home country. Find the application form on GOV.UK.

If your relationship ended due to domestic abuse, you and your children can apply for indefinite leave and may access benefits during this process under the 'destitution domestic violence (DDV) concession.'

If you struggle financially, this might affect your visa extension or indefinite leave applications. Your visa route (5-year or 10-year) affects the process. Check your visa documents to determine your route. The 5-year route requires meeting a financial requirement, while the 10-year route might be necessary if you can't meet these criteria.