Social care for asylum seekers and refugees

The Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum offers a range of good information and support for asylum seekers and refugees.

Nottingham Arimathea Trust provides housing and support for people who have had their first claim for asylum refused.

Asylum seekers
We have a duty to provide social care if you are an asylum seekers waiting for a decision about your asylum application if:

• you have been moved to Nottinghamshire by the United Kingdom Borders Authority

• an assessment says you need our support.

If your application for refugee status is refused, you become a failed asylum seeker. Any support you are currently given will then stop, as you now have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). This term also applies to visa overstayers. However, if you have an assessed community care need which, if not met by us, would be a breach of your rights (under the European Convention on Human Rights), you may be able to get social care services.

Refugees
If your asylum application is approved you become a refugee you are entitled to welfare benefits and social care support if an assessment says you need it.

More information
For more information about asylum issues in Nottinghamshire, visit the Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum website.