Am I eligible for help with homelessness?

Immigration controls

Some categories of people are ineligible for social housing due to their immigration status. The basic rule is a person subject to immigration control is not eligible. There are some exceptions to this.

You are unlikely to be eligible for housing assistance with the council, where your immigration status means you have no recourse to public funds or where you are not permanently resident in the UK. This restriction affects foreign students, work-permit holders, visitors and some other types of limited leave to remain.

You might not be eligible if any of the following apply:

• you are a visitor to this country
• you are a student from another country or a sponsored immigrant
• you are an illegal immigrant
• you are seeking asylum
• you claimed asylum, but the Home Office refused to give you asylum
• you are not habitually resident in the UK or Ireland
• the Home Secretary has said you no longer have a right to stay in the UK

Get support and advice if you are eligible

If you are eligible for help, see our support and advice on homelessness.

Further information

You can find a range of general advice and information on our Housing pages.

If you want more information, contact Shelter or Citizens Advice.

There is also more information and advice at:

• Housing Rights – Chartered Institute of Housing
• Emergency housing if you’re homeless - government guidance