Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Tuesday 23rd February 2021

The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping. The immigration rule will not be revoked but it will only be used where a person refuses support and engages in anti-social behaviour.

No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is a condition that has been applied to those staying here with a temporary immigration status under successive Governments. The general expectation of the Government is that migrants coming into the UK should be able to maintain and accommodate themselves without recourse to public funds. This reflects the need to maintain the confidence of the general public that immigration brings benefits to our country, rather than costs to the UK taxpayer. Only those who are normally or habitually resident in the UK are entitled to access benefits and social housing, reflecting their strength of connection to the UK. This includes those with indefinite leave to remain, refugees, protected persons and those granted discretionary leave.

The Government remains committed to protecting vulnerable people and has acted decisively to ensure that everyone is supported through this pandemic. Many of the wide-ranging Covid-19 measures the Government has put in place, such as the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme, have been made available to migrants with NRPF. We have published guidance and support for migrants affected by Covid-19 at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-get-support-if-youre-a-migrant-living-in-the-uk.

The Government has provided councils with £6.4 billion to support their communities through this pandemic. This includes £4.6 billion in un-ringfenced funding, £1.1 billion from the Infection Control Fund, £300 million to support Test and Trace as well as funding allocated to councils from the new Local Alert Level system and a number of grants to support communities and vulnerable people. The Government has also provided significant additional funding to local authorities to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, with over £700 million funding in 2020-’21.

There are important safeguards in place to ensure vulnerable migrants who are destitute and have community care needs, including issues relating to human rights or the wellbeing of children, can receive support.

Local authorities may provide basic safety net support, regardless of immigration status, 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 where the wellbeing of a child is in question.

The new Immigration Rules introduced on 1 December, which include making provision for the refusal or cancellation of permission to stay in the UK on the basis of rough sleeping, will be used on a discretionary basis where a person refuses offers of support such as accommodation and engages in persistent anti-social behaviour. This means that every case will be considered individually, and the circumstances of each person will be taken into account before a decision is made on the most appropriate course of action.

The new rule will not apply to those with (or eligible for) leave granted under the EU Settlement Scheme or other cohorts protected by the Withdrawal Agreement, nor will it apply to those who are settled in the UK or to those granted permission to stay on the basis of asylum or human rights. Guidance will be provided for decision-makers to make clear the circumstances in which permission may be cancelled or refused, and this will also be available on GOV.UK.

If their permission to stay is cancelled or refused, a person is expected to leave the UK, but if they do not choose to leave voluntarily we may enforce their removal. They will not be subject to deportation action, which is reserved for foreign national offenders with serious and persistent criminality as well as for reasons of national security.

Home Office


This is a revised response. The Petitions Committee requested a response which more directly addressed the request of the petition. You can find the original response towards the bottom of the petition page (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/561884)