Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of universal credit on the financial circumstances of long-term resident EEA Nationals who no longer have worker status.

We have not made such an assessment but we continue to monitor our policies.

Within the 2016 EEA Immigration Regulations and 2013 Universal Credit Regulations, an EEA citizen who is no longer a worker or a self-employed person can retain the status of a worker whilst involuntarily unemployed. EEA citizens who are exercising a qualified right to reside, such as ‘retained worker’ status are eligible to access Universal Credit.

A link to the regulations are below:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/1052/made

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2013/9780111531938/regulation/9