Frequently asked questions

If you are granted leave to remain by the Home Office, your support will stop 28 days after receiving your decision.
This means two things:

1. You will stop getting your cash allowance.
2. You will be evicted from NASS accommodation and have to find your own independent housing.

However, if you are living with family or friends and they agree to you staying there, you can continue living with them.

Once receiving a positive decision, you will need to open a bank account and get a National Insurance number.

You must apply for relevant welfare benefits such as Universal Credit from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). You must not delay in applying for the welfare benefits, otherwise when NASS support stops you will be without any money.

If you are capable of working, you must start looking for work.

You may want to look for your own private sector accommodation. If you are on a low wage or not working, and qualify for public funds, your rent may be paid by housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. The maximum that would be paid, if you have entitlement, would be the local housing allowance rate for the area where the property is situated.

To work out your Local Housing Allowance, go to Direct Gov website

However, you may only get a proportion of this allowance for various reasons such as working. Also, the property has to be of appropriate size for you or your family.

You will need to refer to your tenancy agreement as to how much rent you need to pay and whether on a weekly or monthly basis.

The welfare benefits will usually be paid directly to you and you will then be responsible for paying the rent directly to the landlord.

You may want to enquire what help may be available from the Council, depending on your particular circumstances, such as a loan towards a deposit. You may also be able to get help from a charitable organisation. If you have a support worker, they may be able to apply to charitable funds on your behalf.

If you are homeless or about to become homeless, then Hastings Borough Council have a variety of legal duties they can use to help you. These range from giving further advice and assistance to helping people find their own accommodation and other long term solutions to try and prevent homelessness.

If you are having housing issues and need to book an appointment with Hastings Borough Council then detailed information is on our I'm at risk of being or already am homeless page.

You may also want to visit the Links project dealing with asylum seekers and refugees. They have weekly Wednesday drop-in sessions from 10:30am - 4pm.

The Links address is Concordia Hall, 23 Church Road, St Leonards.  TN37 6HB.
You also can call them on 01424 444010 or email marc@hvauk.org

If you have been granted Leave to Remain or Refugee status, your statutory local connection will be at the place i.e. Hastings you were living at when sent your Leave to Remain decision by the Home Office.

You can move anywhere in the UK, but may have to find your own private sector accommodation. This is because you may not be entitled to social housing by a local authority if you do not have a local connection with them. You will need to check with each local authority as to what policies they have on being able to apply for social housing in their area.

If this happens to you and your family then you may want to visit the Links project dealing with asylum seekers and refugees

The Links address is Concordia Hall, 23 Church Road, St Leonards. TN37 6HB.
There are drop-in sessions on Wednesdays between 10:30am and 4pm.
You can also call them on 01424 444010 or email marc@hvauk.org

Also, you may want to consult with a solicitor.

If you are entitled to public funds you can apply for welfare benefits.
You may be able to claim Universal Credit if you are:

• Looking for work or
• Too sick to work or
• Providing care for someone who is receiving disability benefits or
• Working but on a low income.

How to claim Universal Credit:

• Claim online on the gov.uk website - claim universal credit.
• If you need help with making a claim you can visit Jobcentre Plus at
  Heron House,149/159 London Rd, St Leonards-On-Sea TN37 6LJ. The Home Office may also agree to make an appointment for you at the Jobcentre.
• Alternatively you can get assistance with Universal Credit claims and advice on all welfare benefits including Child Benefit and Personal Independence Payments from HARC. Visit the HARC website for more information.

To claim Universal Credit you need all of the following:

• An email address.
• A Bank account.
• A National Insurance Number.

You will probably already have a National Insurance Number (NINO). It can be found on the back of your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). If you have not been allocated a NINO yet you can apply for one on the gov.uk website - apply for a National Insurance Number.

If you need financial support to pay for a rent deposit, moving costs or household items etc. to set up your new home you may wish to apply for a Refugee Integration Loan. You can find information on how to do this on the gov.uk website - apply for a Refugee Integration Loan.

You can contact HARC to discuss additional forms of funding and support that may be available on the HARC website.

Not everyone has a right to public funds. It depends on your immigration status. Some people's situation can be quite complicated.

The main categories are:

Asylum Seekers

Not entitled to public funds, but may be entitled to asylum support.  This could include accommodation and support or just subsistence.

EEA National

Not every EEA national is entitled to receive public funds. Some people's situation can be quite complicated taking account of the current EU regulations and their work status.

Habitual Residency Test

In order to be entitled to certain welfare benefits and tax credits (which may be included as part of Universal Credit), a claimant has to have passed what is known as the 'habitual residency test'. They have to prove that they have a right to claim benefits and are going to stay in the UK.

To put it in its simplest form, we can use the example of a UK citizen. If they are returning from having lived abroad for at least two years, they would have to prove that they are now resident in the UK, have an intention to settle here (or what is known as the Common Travel Area) and been a resident for an 'appreciable period'.

The Common Travel Area covers the UK, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and Republic of Ireland.

There is no set time stated for the appreciable period in the regulations.  However, it would apply to what is satisfactory for their individual circumstances.  Also, it depends what welfare benefits they are applying for at the time.

If they fail the residency test, they may not be entitled to certain welfare benefits.

In these circumstances they may want to refer to DWP website for further information on appeal procedures.  Also, they may want to consult with the Citizens Advice Bureau, or solicitor. 

Overall, if you are one of the categories stated above with no recourse to public funds then you may want to go to the Links project for further advice.

• The Links address is Concordia Hall, 23 Church Road, St Leonards.  TN37 6HB. They offer drop in sessions from 10:30am-4pm on Wednesdays.
• You can also phone them on 01424 444010 
• Email: marc@havuk.org

Examples of solutions may be:

1. Legal referrals such as for a fresh claim for asylum.
2. Voluntary return to country of origin.
3. Referral to Childrens Services or Adult Social Care.

You need to apply to the EU Settled Status (EUSS) scheme. To find out more information, go to the gov.uk website - EUSS information.

The Links Project can offer support in applying to the EUSS scheme.
The Links address is Concordia Hall, 23 Church Road, St. Leonards.  TN37 6HB.
They have weekly Wednesday drop-in sessions from 10:30am - 4pm.
You can also call them on 01424 444010 or email marc@hvauk.org

In addition Migrant Help will be offering a weekly service at Renaissance House, London Road, St Leonards, TN37 6AN for assistance with EUSS scheme. Migrant Help are also available in various other parts of East Sussex

Visit the Migrant Help website for more information.

Hastings Borough Council does not have its own stock of council housing.

However, Hastings Borough Council has allocations rights in the area to what is known as social housing which is owned by several housing associations.
To be able to apply for social housing, you have to join what is known as the Hastings Homemove Scheme.

You must not be an asylum seeker.

Other restrictions apply, such as length of time having lived in Hastings, immigration status and if you are about to become homeless.

To check if you are eligible, complete the Hastings Homemove online form or contact the Housing team on 01424 451100. Also, you can go to Hastings Borough Council Community Contact Centre, Hastings Town Hall to speak to a member of staff.

Always provide as much evidential documentation as possible to support your application.

If you are a migrant in need of housing, you may want to visit Links at Concordia Hall, 23 Church Road, St Leonards, TN37 6HB to discuss your issues. They offer drop in sessions from 10:30am - 4pm on Wednesdays.
You can also call them on 01424 444010 or email marc@hvauk.org.

If you have been a trafficked person and your support for housing in the NRM (National Referral Mechanism) is about to come to an end then make sure you have contacted relevant agencies.

You can contact the Migrant Helpline for support by calling 01304 803734.

You can also contact the Hastings Borough Council Housing team on 01424 451100 to discuss housing issues.

You will need to complete an online pre-assessment to see if you are eligible for social housing.  If you are eligible you will then be asked to complete the second stage of the application form. For more information on how to apply go to our Sussex Homemove page.

At the end of the application form you will also be asked to upload or bring in supporting documents. Your application will be assessed once all your supporting documents have been received. This will take up to four weeks.

If your application is accepted, you will be informed about it and then you can bid for properties on Sussex Homemove.

The waiting time for social housing depends on the type and availability of the property. You can view the current waiting times for Social Housing here. We cannot tell you exactly how long it will take as the waiting times for properties are always changing.

If you have been given a decision that you are statutory homeless you will be given one offer of accommodation. 

If you are on the Hastings Homemove scheme, but not a statutory homeless client, you will be allowed to have three offers of accommodation within one year.  If you have not accepted the third of these offers, you will be suspended from the Hastings Homemove scheme for one year and then have to re-apply to go on the Hastings Homemove scheme.