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<p>Long-standing policy has always been eligibility for income-related (means-tested)
social security benefits depends on a person’s immigration status in the UK. Claimants
must be exercising a legal right to reside and be habitually resident before they
are eligible to claim income related benefit. This is assessed through the Habitual
Residence Test (HRT), which has been in place since 1994.</p><p /><p>Information on
the number of JSA claims which failed the Habitual Residence Test are available in
<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/639597/analysis-of-migrants-access-to-income-related-benefits.pdf"
target="_blank">“Analysis of Migrants’ Access to Income-Related Benefits”</a></p><p><strong>
</strong></p><p>Information on Universal Credit contracts which have a recorded failed
Habitual Residence Test are as follows: 2016/2017 – 800 failed claims, 2017/2018 –
7,600 failed claims and 2018/2019 – 30,700 failed claims, this reflects the increasing
caseload on UC since it’s rollout. UC data supplied is derived from unpublished management
information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been
quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
The data should therefore be treated with caution. UC cases may be closed for other
reasons (for example, “ineligible”) but may have failed the HRT – these are not captured
in the estimates above.</p><p> </p><p>Information for JSA claims from 2017/18 is not
readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. No data was
recorded on UC data for HRTs prior to 2016/17</p>
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