Evelina's story | Complicated rules lead to marginalised people facing unfair debts of thousands
Evelina is a single mum to 3 year old Daniel. She has lived in the UK since 2011 but struggled to prove it, so didn’t challenge it when she was granted pre-settled instead of settled status.
When her maternity allowance ended, she moved onto Universal Credit. She kept DWP updated and when Daniel was able to go to nursery, she was able to work part time.
In April 2023 DWP told her that they had reversed the decision about her ‘right to reside’ - she didn’t actually satisfy the test. She was told to repay £48,000 she had received over the past 3 years.
Evelina was faced with potential eviction and homelessness for herself and Daniel. The stress of such a huge debt on top of destitution was horrendous. Luckily, she told an immigration advisor who helped her make a new application to upgrade from pre-settled to settled status, which she had always been eligible for.
She now passes the right to reside test, and is looking for new accommodation. She can’t afford to pay the £48,000 that DWP still say she owes, and finding specialist debt advice is very challenging.
I think it is unfair that DWP changed their decision after 3 years without ever letting me know that that could happen. I had always been transparent and up front with DWP about my income and circumstances.
