Women who have insecure immigration status - Practical Help - Domestic Violence Forum - The London borough of Barking and Dagenham.

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Women who have insecure immigration status

Women who have insecure immigration status

If you are uncertain about your immigration status you can phone one of the agencies listed in useful organisations. Your documents (e.g. your visa) should state how long you are entitled to remain in the UK for and whether or not you are entitled to work and/or claim any benefits.

Always seek advice about your legal status from a specialist immigration advisor as immigration law changes regularly. Try to have your documents with you when you do so.

If you have been granted "indefinite leave to remain" in the UK your immigration status is secure and you are entitled to the same benefits and housing support as a British citizen.

If you are not legally entitled to be in the UK (e.g. you came on a holiday and stayed without permission from the home office) and you approach a statutory (government) agency for help they have a duty to inform the home office that you are here. This could result in you being deported from the UK.

Where can I go for help?

Everyone is entitled to help from the police in an emergency regardless of their immigration status. It is also possible to get advice and support from a range of voluntary sector agencies including women's refuge outreach or floating support services (see section on refuges for further details).

It your immigration status is insecure finding somewhere safe to go to escape the abuse may be much harder. It is much more difficult to get a place in a refuge if you are have no income and are not entitled to claim any benefits (e.g. you are precluded from claiming benefits because your immigration status means that you have "no recourse to public funds").

A small number of women's refuges are willing to take women without recourse to public funds but it is often difficult to get one of these limited places. You can contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline for further information on this (tel: 0808 2000 247).

Some social services departments are also able to pay the rent (and a basic living allowance) for women without recourse to public funds but this support is often difficult to get. Social Services have clear duties towards all "children in need" under The Children Act (1989) which means that they have a duty of care towards children made homeless by domestic violence.

However they do not have clear duties towards adults with insecure immigration status unless they can prove that they are "vulnerable". This often means that social services are unwilling to help women with insecure immigration status who are fleeing domestic violence even if they have children.

You can contact your local social services department for further information on this. You may also wish to contact a voluntary sector agency (such as a refuge outreach service) first so that they can support you (advocate for you) when you ask social services for help.

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Barking and Dagenham Domestic Violence Forum