Homelessness and Visa Holders: Support and Rights in the UK

Housing Is Devolved: Four Systems, Not One

Immigration is decided for the whole UK, but housing and homelessness are not. The duty owed to you, the body you apply to and the advice line you call all change depending on where in the UK you are.

• England. Part VII of the Housing Act 1996, with the prevention and relief duties added by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. You apply to the council. The homelessness code of guidance for local authorities is the guidance councils follow, and it covers England only.
• Wales. Part 2 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 replaced Part VII for Wales, so the English code of guidance does not apply. You apply to the council, and the Welsh Government publishes its own homelessness guidance.
• Scotland. Part II of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987. You apply to the council. mygov.scot says the council “has a legal duty to help you if you're homeless or at risk of homelessness” and “must also provide you with temporary accommodation if you need it”.
• Northern Ireland. Part II of the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1988. You do not apply to a council: the Northern Ireland Housing Executive is the housing authority. Its published numbers are 03448 920 900, and 03448 920 908 for the emergency homelessness line after 5pm on weekdays and at weekends and public holidays. It assesses eligibility, homelessness, priority need and intentionality.

Your Rights Depend on Your Immigration Status

Whichever nation you are in, whether you can be helped at all turns first on immigration status. This is the part that is the same across the UK, because it is set by the Immigration Rules.

• British citizens, indefinite leave to remain (settlement) and settled status: Full access to homelessness services including temporary accommodation and social housing. See our settlement and council housing guide.
• Refugees and people with humanitarian protection: Full access to housing support. Refugee permission to stay does not carry a no recourse to public funds condition, and settlement does not either.
• Pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme: Pre-settled status alone does not make someone eligible; eligibility turns on whether they also have a qualifying right to reside, such as being a worker or self-employed.
• Work and study visas with no recourse to public funds: Not eligible for homelessness assistance while the condition applies, because it is a public fund. This is the usual position on a Skilled Worker visa, a Student visa and a partner visa before settlement. Duties that are not public funds still apply — see below.
• Asylum seekers: Provided with accommodation by the Home Office under section 95 or section 4 support.

You can check the condition on your own permission in your eVisa. There is no card: biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024, and status is proved online with a share code that lasts 90 days.

Support for People With No Recourse to Public Funds

A no recourse to public funds condition rules out the benefits and housing help GOV.UK names as public funds. The published list includes social housing and homelessness assistance, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Child Benefit and Council Tax Reduction schemes, along with the Social Security Scotland payments and the Northern Ireland discretionary support payment.

It does not touch duties that come from other legislation. Those duties exist across the UK but sit in different statutes:

• Support for a child in need. Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 in England and Wales; section 22 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 in Scotland; article 18 of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 in Northern Ireland. Where a family with children would otherwise be destitute, this can mean accommodating the whole household.
• Care and support for an adult. The Care Act 2014 in England; the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 in Wales; section 12 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 in Scotland; the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 in Northern Ireland. An adult with care and support needs is assessed, and accommodation can form part of what is provided.
• Human Rights Act 1998. The Act applies across the UK. Providing no support at all can engage Article 3, the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment.

The NRPF Network publishes the guidance councils use on these duties, and its material is set out by nation.

There is also a free change of conditions application to have the no recourse to public funds condition removed, for people who are destitute, at risk of destitution, or where a child in the household is at risk because of very low income. It is made to the Home Office.

Where to Get Help

The housing authority comes first: the council in England, Wales and Scotland, and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in Northern Ireland. In England, Wales and Scotland you can find the council through the GOV.UK find your local council tool.

The free housing advice helplines are run by different charities in each nation, and each one advises only on the housing law of its own nation. All four numbers below are published on the charity's own website.

• England — Shelter. Emergency helpline on 0808 800 4444, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, closed weekends and bank holidays. Shelter says it advises on housing law in England only, and that it gives advice but does not provide accommodation. Interpreters can be added to the call.
• Scotland — Shelter Scotland. Homelessness prevention helpline on 0808 800 4444, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, closed bank holidays.
• Wales — Shelter Cymru. Housing helpline on 08000 495 495.
• Northern Ireland — Housing Rights. Housing advice, helpline 028 9024 5640, Monday to Friday 9:30am to 4:30pm.
• Crisis: Support for single homeless people, including housing advice and help getting to other services.
• St Mungo's: Emergency accommodation and outreach, mainly in London and southern England.

If you are in immediate danger, call 999. If your status itself is at risk, our visa refusal guide sets out what the refusal notice has to tell you.

Domestic Abuse and Homelessness

Domestic abuse helplines are also organised by nation. Each number below is published on the operating organisation's own website.

• England. National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Wales. Live Fear Free on 0808 80 10 800, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Scotland. Scotland's Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline on 0800 027 1234.
• Northern Ireland. Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline on 0808 802 1414, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Refuges may accommodate someone regardless of a no recourse to public funds condition. The Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (which replaced the Destitute Domestic Violence Concession) grants 3 months' permission to stay outside the Immigration Rules with access to public funds, or until a decision is made on a further application made in that period. The published eligibility conditions are on GOV.UK. It is a UK-wide concession, because it is an immigration measure rather than a housing one.

Before You Lose Your Home

Every nation has a duty to act before homelessness happens, though the statute differs. In England it is the prevention and relief duties added by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017; in Wales it is Part 2 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014; in Scotland it is Part II of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987; and in Northern Ireland the Housing Executive publishes an avoiding-homelessness route alongside its homelessness assessment.

• Contacting the housing authority early is what triggers those duties. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive treats someone as threatened with homelessness if they are likely to lose their home within 28 days.
• The housing advice helpline for your nation, listed above, advises on eviction notices as well as homelessness. Citizens Advice also gives free housing advice.
• Immigration advice given in the course of business is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Our DIY vs solicitor guide explains who is allowed to give it.

Community Support

Community organisations provide practical support including food banks, day centres, and help getting to other services. See our community groups guide for how to find local organisations that support immigrants.

Questions and answers