Welfare justice: Hidden NRPF affecting EU citizens*
Despite protections under the Withdrawal Agreement, many EU citizens with pre settled status experience serious barriers when trying to access welfare benefits, housing and homelessness assistance, and social care. In practice, the requirement to pass the right to reside test often functions as a hidden No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition.
Although this restriction is not formally written into pre settled status, its effects are profound. Confusing rules, long delays, inconsistent decision making and a lack of specialist advice leave people without support at moments of crisis. What was intended to be a bridge towards stability has, for many, become a temporary and precarious status that traps people in insecurity and increases the risk of destitution and homelessness.
the3million have been intervening in legal cases through strategic litigation to challenge the hidden NRPF condition that people with pre settled status are subjected to. This participatory project, funded by the NRPF Partnership, builds on that work by centering lived experience and using evidence to push for systemic change.
What we want to achieve
Through this project, we aim to:
- Demonstrate how pre settled status can act as a hidden NRPF condition in practice
- Amplify the voices of people directly affected by welfare exclusion
- Uncover systemic issues in decision making within the DWP and local authorities
- Strengthen legal, policy and campaigning efforts for welfare justice
- Publish a research report in summer 2026 with clear findings and recommendations
- Support people with lived experience to lead change and influence decision makers
At its heart, this work is about dignity, fairness and ensuring that EU citizens can access safety nets when they need them.
Get involved
Do you have lived experience of being denied welfare support? Join our research and Experience Forum. We also want to hear from advisers who support people to access welfare.
The research report and community organising through the Experience Forum will contribute to advocacy and influencing - ongoing engagement with MPs, local authorities and other decision makers, ensuring that lived experience is at the heart of demand for change.
