We are devising an impact campaign to coincide with the film’s release, and looking for partners who work in areas that the film focuses on, to see how we can best target the film in the way that makes the most impact to influence policy change against No Recourse To Public Funds. We are pleased to announce that Migrants Organise, Stephen Timms, INSA (Indian National Students Association) and Newham Community Project are supporting us as Impact Partners on our campaign.

This film has the potential to have a life beyond traditional broadcast and distribution. In looking at the issues faced by the subjects in this film, and thinking about the solutions to them, we devised an Impact Campaign to coincide with its release in the hopes that this documentary will be able to bring about some benefit to the communities we depict, both in terms of highlighting these issues, and campaigning for policy change.

 

WHAT IS NRPF?

No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is a condition in the Immigration Rules, and Section 115 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which excludes people ‘subject to immigration control’ from a range of state benefits such as Universal Credit, Child Benefit, Disability Living Allowance and Housing benefits. This is despite the fact that working individuals who are here on Limited Leave to Remain with an NRPF condition pay the same taxes as every other in-work person living in the UK; they pay income tax, national insurance and council tax.

NRPF was introduced by New Labour in 1999. As of June 2020, nearly 1.4million people had No Recourse to Public Funds (Citizens Advice research), with Black and Asian groups disproportionately represented.

In 2012, Theresa May extended the NRPF rule to include people on the 10-year route to settlement and those granted leave to remain in the UK outside the rules on the basis of family or private life.

With no access to public funds, people with NRPF can often be left destitute, which has been particularly worsened during the pandemic. NRPF is part of the Hostile Environment policy, basically with the intention of making life as hostile as possible for people coming to this country with the intention of making them want to leave.

 

COME ON BOARD

Are you an organisation that champions migrant rights? Come on board to help us make change against the No Recourse to Public Funds policy. To come on board please get in touch at: info@galeforcefilms.co.uk

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