Immigration and visas: accessible advice, support and urgent decisions

Understand the decision you need help with

Immigration concerns permission to enter or stay in the UK. Permission may have an expiry date and conditions, such as limits on work or access to certain benefits. A visa, asylum claim, settlement application and citizenship application are different processes. Ask an adviser to explain which process applies to your circumstances. A learning disability does not by itself decide whether an application succeeds.

Choose a properly regulated adviser

Use GOV.UK to find an Immigration Advice Authority, or IAA, registered adviser, or a legal professional regulated through an approved body. For a solicitor in England, check the Solicitors Regulation Authority register and relevant expertise. Check the actual person and organisation, not just a reassuring website. IAA advisers have different levels of authorisation; ask whether theirs covers your case and any tribunal representation. The IAA regulates advice but does not decide applications or give individual immigration advice.

Agree costs and the work

Ask what the adviser will do, the fee, extra costs, deadlines and who will keep you informed. Some services are free, and legal aid may cover matters such as asylum or certain protection cases. It does not cover every visa application. Ask about eligibility, possible exceptional funding or fee waivers where relevant. Do not pay someone who guarantees a visa or tells you to provide false information. Keep copies and receipts somewhere safe.

Ask for adjustments and independent communication support

Tell your adviser and the relevant Home Office or tribunal team what helps you understand and respond. Ask about plain-language information, extra time, breaks, an interpreter, your communication aid or an appropriate supporter. Explain problems with memory, anxiety, hearing, reading or digital access. Ask for confirmation of arrangements. Asylum interview guidance specifically addresses learning disability and adjustment needs. A supporter should help your communication, not invent answers or take control of your account of events.

Practical online help is not legal advice

Assisted digital support can help eligible people in the UK complete specified Home Office online applications. It cannot choose your immigration route or provide legal advice. It also does not provide eVisa help; use the separate eVisa support route. UKVI contact staff can help identify service routes but cannot advise whether your personal case will succeed. Get a regulated adviser for the legal decisions.

Understand and access an eVisa

An eVisa is the online record of immigration status and its conditions. Creating a UKVI account or accessing an eVisa is free; it is not an application for a new right to stay. Ask for official support if you cannot use the app or account, or if information is wrong. A trusted person may help with proper permission or authority. Agree who controls the account and how you will retain access. Do not give login details to an unverified person.

What no recourse to public funds means

No recourse to public funds, often shortened to NRPF, is an immigration condition restricting access to specified benefits and housing assistance. It does not mean every public service is unavailable. Benefits have their own rules, and some are outside the public-funds definition. Before claiming or assuming you cannot claim, ask a welfare adviser and regulated immigration adviser to check the particular benefit, your status and any exception.

Care and support in England

Ask the council for an adult care needs assessment if you may need care and support; immigration status does not remove that assessment duty. NRPF does not automatically rule out social care. Actual support depends on needs and legal rules; some immigration categories require additional human-rights consideration. Needs arising solely from destitution have separate restrictions. Children’s social care must consider children’s needs and safeguarding. Seek specialist advice if essential care or accommodation is refused.

Healthcare and asylum support have separate rules

NHS treatment is not a public fund for immigration purposes. NHS charging and exemptions have their own rules, so this does not mean all treatment is free. Urgent or immediately necessary treatment must not be withheld because someone cannot pay, although a bill may still follow. People seeking asylum may qualify for separate accommodation or financial support. Migrant Help can assist with the support process; a regulated legal adviser handles the immigration case. Explain disability and care needs to both services.

If money, safety or permission depends on someone else

Tell an independent adviser if a partner, parent or other person controls your documents or threatens your status. Some migrant victims qualify for the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession, which gives temporary permission and potential access to public funds. It does not cover everyone or guarantee settlement. Certain other routes allow applications to lift an NRPF condition. The effect on existing permission and future applications needs individual advice. Use the domestic-abuse guide to seek help safely.

Prepare for advice without delaying urgent help

If safe and available, bring relevant Home Office letters, identity or travel documents, application records and a list of important dates. Explain what is missing and any communication or care evidence. Ask before sending originals. Do not delay an urgent enquiry because papers are incomplete. Tell the adviser immediately about detention, threatened removal, an expiring permission or a refusal letter. Ask for the exact deadline and who will act.

Challenge the decision through the correct route

A refusal may allow an appeal, administrative review or another legal challenge, depending on the decision. Time limits can be short and are not identical for every case. Ask a qualified adviser to check the letter promptly and explain whether any action protects your current permission. A complaint, an MP enquiry or starting an online form is not a substitute for the required legal action and does not itself extend permission. Request hearing adjustments early if a tribunal is involved.

If advice or access goes wrong

If an IAA-regulated adviser gives poor service, the IAA has a complaints route; solicitors and other professionals have their own regulators and service-complaint routes. A complaint cannot reverse a Home Office decision or automatically repair a missed deadline. If the problem is with UKVI service or missing adjustments, use its official contact route and ask about a complaint, while separately protecting the legal case. Request independent help quickly where essential support or your ability to remain is at risk.

Help with immigration and visas

Find qualified advice

Ask for support you understand

Your eVisa and account

Benefits, care and living costs

Safety and urgent deadlines

What you can do next

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