Immigrants: Coronavirus

(asked on 18th March 2020) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of no recourse to public funds rules on the public health response to covid-19; and if she will make a statement.


Answered by
Kevin Foster Portrait
Kevin Foster
This question was answered on 30th June 2020

The Home Office is working closely with other government departments to support people, including migrants with no recourse to public funds, through this crisis. We are taking a compassionate and pragmatic approach to an unprecedented situation.

Testing and treatment for Covid-19 is free of charge to all regardless of immigration status and NHS Trusts have been advised no immigration checks are required for these patients. This message has been widely communicated to the public through various means including in PHE’s migrant health guide (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-entitlements-migrant-health-guide)

£3.2 billion will be provided to local authorities in England with additional funding for the devolved administrations under the Barnett formula as part of the wider government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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