New Guidance Clarifies Public Funds Support Rules for Migrants in England
16 Aug 2026
The Home Office has published new guidance, version 1.0, for local authorities and councils in England on supporting migrants who have "no recourse to public funds" (NRPF), a condition attached to many visas including BNO. If you're on a visa with this condition, it's worth understanding what councils are and aren't required to do for you.
The guidance confirms that councils must still support children in need, whatever their family's NRPF status. It states that "the presence of an NRPF condition must not be a barrier to the discharge of section 17 duties" under the Children Act 1989. For adults, councils may provide support under the Care Act 2014 in some circumstances, but the guidance is clear that "a local authority may not meet the needs for care and support...whose needs have arisen solely because the adult is destitute." Councils also have some discretionary power to help other groups, though this cannot replace the support the law otherwise requires.
The guidance specifically addresses the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route. If you hold BNO status, you "can apply to have their NRPF condition lifted if they are destitute or at risk of imminent destitution," among other qualifying circumstances. If you're struggling financially on a BNO visa, this is worth checking with the Home Office directly, since it could open up access to support you currently can't claim.
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