Benefits

Jobcentre
The rules for A8 nationals are complicated. If you're on the WRS you can't usually get benefits like Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance until you've completed a year's employment. But if you do need benefits before you've worked for 12 months get advice from one of the organisations in the next section - help maybe available.

Once you have worked legally for 12 months you will be entitled to claim benefits. For more information on the UK benefits system see the Benefits section of our site.

If you are here as a self employed person you are entitled to all the same benefits as a British person in your situation. If you are here as a 'self sufficient' person, but need financial help temporarily you may be able to claim benefits on a short-term basis. Get advice from a local advice agency if you're in this situation.

If you are:

a worker who has completed a year on the WRS; or
self employed; or
'self sufficient'

and you've been having problems claiming benefits it could be because you don't pass the 'Habitual Residence Test' or that it is being applied to you when you should be exempt from it. It can be quite difficult to prove that you're 'habitually resident' so if you're not sure why you were refused get some advice.

Olev and his family are from Estonia. They settled in Bradford where Olev found work in a textiles factory. Then, after he'd been working there for about 14 months the factory went bust and Olev and his colleagues were laid off.

Olev looked for work but couldn't find any straight away. Bills were beginning to mount up so he went to the Jobcentre Plus to try and claim some benefits. The Jobcentre Plus worker told him that he wasn't entitled to benefits because he was an A8 national. Very worried, Olev went to his local community centre and got an appointment with an adviser. The adviser told him that the man at the Jobcentre Plus was wrong. Because Olev had completed his year on the WRS he was entitled to claim benefits. The adviser helped him to put in a claim and sent a letter quoting the rules which allowed Olev to claim benefits. This time the claim was successful.

See the next section for a list of useful organisations.