Citizenship Areas
Advice on lifting the no recourse to public funds condition, with support tailored to your permission and household circumstances.
Advice on asking the Home Office to lift a no recourse to public funds condition attached to your permission.
Individual assessment of financial hardship, children’s welfare and relevant exceptional circumstances.
This service concerns the public funds condition on existing permission, including certain cases with an outstanding application. It does not grant a new visa, extend your stay or provide settlement.
We review your route, immigration history and present circumstances before advising on the appropriate request.
We prepare the request around your household’s circumstances and the policy applying to your immigration route.
Check your permission, current conditions and any outstanding application.
Consider the financial position, essential needs and any affected children.
Help organise supporting evidence and explain why a change is being sought.
Explain the outcome, updated conditions and implications for your next application.
The Immigration Rules provide for qualifying requests from people with family or private life permission and British National (Overseas) visa holders. Certain cases involving an outstanding application can also be considered.
A discretionary request may be considered where there are particularly compelling circumstances. This requires careful advice: the Home Office may also consider whether you continue to meet your route’s requirements and whether your permission should be cancelled if the request is refused.
We assess the relevant policy and any risks before recommending an application.
We assess accommodation, financial support and the effect of hardship on your household.
We consider the needs and wellbeing of affected children when explaining the circumstances of your request.
Destitution, an imminent risk of destitution, relevant child welfare reasons or exceptional financial circumstances may be relevant. The assessment depends on the applicable route and supporting evidence.
We help present the household’s position clearly, including changes in income, essential costs and any support available.
A successful request changes the public funds condition. It does not extend the expiry date of your permission or automatically award benefits; entitlement to any particular benefit is assessed separately.
Under current guidance, a successful request does not itself move a person on the five-year partner or parent route onto the ten-year route. Their circumstances and the relevant requirements are reassessed at the next application.
For BN(O) visa holders, a successful change of conditions does not itself affect the ability to apply for settlement through that route. We review your wider settlement position individually.
Tell us about homelessness, a child’s needs or other urgent difficulties at the outset. We can explain the urgency in the request, while the Home Office controls the decision and timing.
We review the outcome and advise on updated records, any further information needed and appropriate next steps if the request is refused.
A change of conditions is different from an extension or a fee waiver. If another application is needed, we consider its timing and your current permission separately.
Related advice includes Fee Waiver Applications and Private Life and Family Life Applications.