What’s included? Expand The service covers simple Wills. If you need a more complex Will, your solicitor will explain any costs before proceeding.
Who pays for it? Expand Migrant Help covers the cost directly with the solicitor — so your simple Will is free to you.
Do I have to leave a gift to Migrant Help? Expand There’s absolutely no obligation. But many supporters choose to include a gift, helping refugee families find safety and rebuild their lives.
Can I do this remotely? Expand Many solicitors in the network offer phone or online appointments, as well as face-to-face meetings, giving you flexibility to choose what works best for you.
Pregnancy care transfer cards Expand These transfer cards aim to improve safety by supporting pregnant women and pregnant people to access maternity care as soon as possible after they mov. They can be downloaded in the language of your choice here: southeastclinicalnetworks.nhs.uk/pregnancy-care-transfer-cards
GP registration transfer cards Expand The cards aim to improve continuity of care and avoid duplication by supporting newly arrived individuals to re-register (or register if a first registration) as soon as possible after they move. They can be downloaded in the language of your choice here: england.nhs.uk/publication/gp-registration-transfer-cards
When should I tell the Home Office that I am pregnant and what evidence of pregnancy does the Home Office require? Expand You should tell the Home Office that you are pregnant as soon as you have received confirmation of pregnancy. The Home Office requires original, written confirmation of pregnancy from a health official, e.g. a MATB1 form or a letter from a treating clinician, such as a Community Midwife or GP, which shows Expected Due Date (EDD) and details about the health professional. You can get a MATB1 certificate from your midwife or doctor providing your antenatal care, when you are 20 weeks pregnant. Before this date, ask the midwife or doctor to write a letter to confirm your pregnancy.
Am I entitled to claim additional asylum support payments for being pregnant? Expand Yes. Provided you are receiving asylum support, you can apply for extra money each week and a one-off maternity grant. You’ll get extra money to buy healthy food if you’re pregnant or a mother of a child aged 3 or under (up until they turn 4). The amount you get will depend on your situation. Your situation Extra payment per week Pregnant mother £5.25 Baby under 1 year old £9.50 Child aged 3 or under (up until they turn 4) £5.25 You can also apply for a £300 maternity grant to help buy things for your baby.
When can I receive the one-off maternity grant? Expand You can apply for a one-off £300 maternity grant if your baby is due in 11 weeks or less (i.e., you are at least 29 weeks pregnant), or if your baby is under 6 months old.
How can I apply for additional asylum support payment or maternity grant Expand Migrant Help can assist you to apply. You apply for the maternity grant in the same way whether you’re still an asylum seeker or you’ve been refused asylum, provided you are in receipt of asylum support.You can apply for the maternity grant at the same time you apply for additional weekly asylum support payments, but you need to apply for them separately. Before birth: You’ll need to provide written confirmation of your pregnancy from a health official e.g., MATB1 form or a letter from a treating clinician, such as a Community Midwife or GP, which shows Expected Due Date (EDD) and details about the health professional. You can get a MATB1 certificate from your midwife or doctor providing your antenatal care, when you are 20 weeks pregnant. Before this date, ask the midwife or doctor to write a letter to confirm your pregnancy.After birth: You’ll need to provide the baby’s birth certificate.Migrant Help can help you check and submit your application. If you're not yet eligible, they will explain when you will be and invite you to contact them again.
How do I receive my extra payments and grant once approved? Expand Your allowance will be transferred onto an ASPEN card each week. An ASPEN card is like a debit card. You’ll be able to use the card in most shops and to get cash from a cash machine unless you are on section 4 support, where you will not be allowed to withdraw cash.
Will the Home Office move me from my accommodation whilst I am pregnant? Expand Wherever possible, pregnant women should only be moved once, whilst they are pregnant, unless they specifically request relocation or have specific accommodation needs.Relocation in the late stages of pregnancy should only be undertaken either at the request of the applicant or her treating medical practitioners. If such a request is made, it must be made in writing.Late stages of pregnancy will be defined as normally running from six weeks before the Estimated Date of Delivery (EDD), i.e., at least 34 weeks pregnant, and until a clinician has signed off on the postnatal checks. The latter will usually be around six weeks after birth unless there have been complications.If there is a plan to move you during your late stages of pregnancy, then contact your accommodation provider and Migrant Help.
Will the Home Office pay for transport to attend appointments? Expand You must let your accommodation provider know at the earliest opportunity if you need help with transport costs to attend medical appointments and registrations of births.For journeys more than 3 miles, there is a pre-travel approval process for funded public transport. Should approval be given, you will either be issued with a public transport ticket or funds for public transport will be added to their ASPEN Card.Accommodation providers are required to give you support through provision of bus & train routes/timetables to support you in making that journey.There is also provision for journeys of less than three miles to be publicly funded in exceptional circumstances and these, along with any use of taxis, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
What do I need to do when my baby is born if I am receiving asylum support? Expand There are 2 key things that it is important that you do: Add your baby to your asylum support claim for additional weekly payment. Doing this will make sure that you receive a weekly allowance for both you and your baby.Contact Migrant Help who can assist you and help you understand what supporting documents are required when submitting your request.If you do this within 2 weeks of birth, support payments for your baby will be backdated to the date of birth.You will need to provide the long birth certificate within 7 weeks of birth if this is not provided when your baby is initially added to your support claim. Add your baby to your asylum claim. For your baby to be included on your asylum claim, you will need to request that they are added as a dependent.Once a request has been made, you will be given an appointment to attend a Home Office location so that your baby can be added to your asylum claim.To make a request, you will need to contact the Home Office, stating that you want to add a new dependant to your asylum claim.Your request must also include the full name, date of birth, and nationality of the person you want to be included as a dependant on your asylum claim.You must also provide any supporting evidence that you have, for example, a scanned copy of a full UK birth certificate if your child was born in the UK.The Home Office can be contacted in one of the following ways:By emails: [email protected]By post:UKVI PO Box 7782Village WayBilstonWV1 9QB
How do I officially register my child’s birth and obtain a birth certificate? Expand England Wales Northern Ireland Scotland A baby must be registered within 42 days of the child being born. A baby must be registered within 42 days of the child being born. A baby must be registered within 42 days of the child being born. A baby must be registered within 21 days of the child being born. A baby can be registered at the local register office for the area where the baby was born or at the hospital before the mother leaves. The hospital will tell you if you can register the birth there. A baby can be registered at the local register office for the area where the baby was born or at the hospital before the mother leaves. The hospital will tell you if you can register A baby can be registered in any District Registration office in Northern Ireland. A baby can be registered at any Registration office in Scotland. You can get details of registrars from your local council.
How do I pay for a birth certificate? Expand Registering births is the responsibility of the General Registry Office, and they are responsible for the fees and payments.Registration of a birth is a legal requirement, and as such, the initial registration is provided free of charge. There is a fee for a birth certificate.The Home Office provides maternity grants to asylum seekers which include covering the cost of a birth certificate.
What is permission to work Expand The Home Office may grant you permission to work if your asylum claim has been outstanding for more than 12 months through no fault of your own. This may be 12 months after initially claiming asylum, or 12 months after submitting further submissions on protection grounds to be considered as a fresh claim. Under this policy, those who are granted permission to work and have submitted an application on or before 26 March 2026 are restricted to jobs on the Immigration Salary List published by the Home Office. Any applications submitted on or after 26 March 2026, who are granted, are restricted to jobs on the Appendix Skilled Occupations at RQF level 6 or above. If you had been given permission to work as part of another UK visa, then as long as your application for asylum was made in time (while the original visa was still valid) you will usually be allowed to continue to work. Further information and help regarding your visa rights, can be found at: gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk Some asylum seekers may receive explicit permission to work from the Home Office. Individuals with that permission must: Declare any change to their employment status to Asylum Support as a change of circumstances. Failure to do so is a breach of support conditions. For assistance reporting a change in circumstances, please contact Migrant Help on 0808 8010 503. comply strictly with the work conditions attached to their permission. only work in occupations permitted by your work conditions. be able to show your permission to work if requested by the Home Office or your accommodation provider. Failure to follow the conditions of your permission to work may result in the withdrawal of that permission and a review of your entitlement to support.
Eligibility criteria Expand To be eligible to apply for permission to work, you must have an outstanding asylum claim (or further submission on protection grounds) and been waiting at least 12 months for a decision where the delay in receiving the decision is not your fault. However, even if you are eligible, permission is not automatic. Permission to work must still be applied for and granted by the Home Office.
How to make an application Expand If you are unsure whether you are allowed to work, or you believe there is an error relating to your permission to work, you should visit gov.uk/government/publications/working-whilst-an-asylum-claim-is-considered. Permission to work is not issued automatically: you still have to apply for it. To make an application you must complete the Permission to Work form PTW1 and send it to the following team: Asylum Casework TeamsPermission to Work Team Level 0 Capital Building Old Hall Street Liverpool L3 9PP Alternatively, you can email the application to [email protected] for asylum claims or [email protected] for further submissions or [email protected] for foreign national offender (FNO) cases.
How will asylum seekers know they have permission to work Expand If permission to work has been granted you will receive an official permission to work Decision Notice (ASL 4264) letter from the Home Office. The letter will confirm that permission to work has been granted and confirms any conditions or restrictions on the work. Your Application Registration Card (ARC) is also updated to reflect your permission status. If you have any issues with your ARC including errors on work remarks, please use the online ARC enquiry form to contact the Home Office. Should you find successful employment, the employer is responsible for checking the Employer Checking Service to establish if you have been granted permission to work and will need to do their own checks as to whether the applicant has the skills, qualifications and experience to work. Further information on proving your right to work can be found at: gov.uk/prove-right-to-work
National Insurance number Expand When you have received your updated ARC card, you will need to apply for a National Insurance Number (often shortened to ‘NI’). If you are in Northern Ireland, you can apply for a national insurance number on the NI Direct website. If you are in the rest of the UK, you can apply on the GOV.UK website. Your new employer may also ask you to complete an Access NI check. This is a criminal history record check which lets your employer know if you have been convicted of a criminal offence or are barred from working with children or vulnerable adults. This is the standard procedure for anyone who works with vulnerable persons.
Working hours Expand If you are on a student visa and have permission to work, working hours in term time must not exceed the limit stated on your digital status during term-time, and you can work full time outside term time. Term and vacation dates are set by the course provider and it is important that you check these to ensure you can comply with any limits on work. Your university, college or school may impose or recommend further limits which you should not exceed. Further information about working as an international student can be found here: Working as an international student If you are on a work visa, your permission to work will depend on the type of work visa. Some routes allow you to work anywhere. Other routes restrict you to working in a particular job for a particular sponsor. If you have a sponsored visa which allows you to do supplementary work, this must not be for more than 20 hours a week, and you must still be doing the job you’re being sponsored for. Check your visa decision or the guidance for your route for more details. You can find out more information on the guidance on maximum working hours at: Maximum weekly working hours - GOV.UK and on student visas at Student visa - GOV.UK.
How permission to work impacts asylum support Expand Should you gain successful employment, you must notify the Home Office of your income. You can do so by contacting Migrant Help UK on 0808 801 0503, at https://www.migranthelpuk.org/ or via webchat with Subject Change of Circumstances. Migrant Help can complete the Form with the relevant supporting documents. The Home Office will then review your situation to see whether or not you are still considered ‘destitute’. The Home Office will answer any questions or concerns you have on your work situations and how your income impacts on your support entitlements. The outcome of this will depend on your specific situation.
Reasons for refusing permission to work Expand Reasons for refusing permission to work might include the following: your asylum claim (or further submission on protection grounds) has not been outstanding for 12 months the delay is entirely the result of your actions or inaction the delay is partly due to your actions or inaction, and it is not appropriate to exercise discretion in your favour there is evidence of criminality either in the UK or abroad which causes a delay in determining the asylum application - the reasons for delay could be due to Article 1(F) exclusion considerations or because the outcome of any prosecution is awaited further submissions are not protection based and are instead based on Article 3 medical grounds or Article 8 family grounds where a valid charged application should have been made There is no right of appeal against a decision to refuse permission to work.