Advice for when you have been given refugee status
Biometric Residence Permit Cards (BRP)
Once you receive your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card, check your full name has been spelt correctly and it displays the correct date of birth. If any details are incorrect, call Migrant Help immediately to raise the issue.
If you have not received your BRP card and have been served an eviction notice to leave the Holiday Inn Maidenhead, contact Migrant Help immediately and ask Migrant Help to contact the hotel for an extension. You can also ask they help retrieve your card.
Migrant help telephone:
0808 8010 503
Website: Migrant Help
Claiming benefits
You can apply for UK benefits once you have been given refugee status and not before. Apply for them as soon as possible once you have received a positive asylum decision.
The benefit for those not working or on a low income is Universal Credit. You need to apply online at the link below either as a single person or a couple if you have a partner. Once the form is complete, you will need to go onto your Universal Credit journal to verify your identity. Once done, the Jobcentre will call you to arrange an appointment to see you.
Following your Jobcentre appointment, it takes on average five weeks for your claim to be processed if successful.
Monthly Universal Credit rates:
- If you’re single and under 25: £292.11
- If you’re single and 25 or over: £368.74
- If you live with your partner and both under 25: £458.51 between you
- If you live with your partner and either of you are 25 or over: £578.82 between you
Apply online for universal credit
Other benefits
- Child benefit - for parents with children only.
- Personal Independence payment - for anybody with a serious medical condition only. You need to apply via telephone on 0800 917 2222. You will then be sent a paper application form to complete. Please let the UK Resettlement team know if you need assistance with applying for any of the above.
Learning or improving your English
You will be extremely limited in the UK without being able to speak English. Once you have refugee status you will have the same entitlements as a UK citizen, whereby you will need to read important information and liaise with essential services.
English classes are typically called English for Speakers of Other Languages - ESOL. Below are places to study:
- Holiday Inn Maidenhead, Friday’s between 2pm-3pm in the Berkshire Suite.
- Langley College offer a range of part time ESOL courses for all levels, from beginners to people wanting to improve their current skills. Applications can be made via this website: ESOL / Learn English Part Time in Langley Course | Berkshire. You can get a direct train from Maidenhead station to Langley station.
Looking for employment
It will be very difficult to be financially independent in the UK if you are only receiving Universal Credit. Finding work will help support the cost of living in the UK.
The Refugee Employability Programme is very useful when searching for work: Home | Refugee Employability Programme | Reed in Partnership.
The service can help directly with:
- Understanding the UK job market, how to approach employers and make applications.
- Finding the right job for you in relation to your skills.
- Matching you to employment in the same area as your previous work.
Please let the UK Resettlement team know if you would like to be referred.
Looking for Housing
Securing housing is something everybody needs to consider. You can start looking for housing as soon as you are given refugee status.
The widest housing choice is private rented sector accommodation. This is accommodation that is owned by someone else who rents it to the occupants. Either an entire place, or a room in a shared house or flat.
There are multiple ways to search for private rented sector accommodation. Visiting estate agents, the internet, smartphone applications, shop windows and speaking to friends and family who may know someone.
Universal Credit can pay towards a certain amount of your rent. If you find somewhere, first check that the landlord will accept Universal Credit as payment before signing a tenancy as some landlords will not take this as payment.
The amount Universal Credit will pay towards rent is limited. Every council in the UK limits this amount, called the Local Housing Allowance.
The amounts in Windsor and Maidenhead are:
| Room rates | Weekly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Shared accommodation rate | £103.56 | £449.99 |
| 1 Bed | £184.11 | £800.00 |
| 2 Bed | £230.14 | £1,000.01 |
| 3 Bed | £293.42 | £1,274.98 |
| 4 Bed and over | £368.22 | £1,600.00 |
If you are single and under the age of 35, Universal Credit will only pay towards rent for shared accommodation; you will not get the one-bedroom Local Housing Allowance rate.
Speak to RBWM regarding an interest free loan towards a deposit and first month’s rent before you sign a tenancy. The loan will not be given after you sign a tenancy without informing us.
We suggest using the below websites to start your search:
- Private Landlords That Accept DSS | lettingaproperty.com
- DSS / Housing Benefit Rooms to Rent | SpareRoom.co.uk
- Current Vacant DSS Properties in London – Our vacant properties in London; DSS Welcome (dsslocal.com)
- DSS Accepted Properties | DSS Housing | Get a DSS move (movingsoon.co.uk)
- DSS in London | Residential Property To Rent - Gumtree
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead’s UK resettlement team
If you need help or further advice about the above topics, please get in touch with the UK resettlement team. We can be contacted via email on: welfareteam@RBWM.gov.uk.
We are at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead on Monday’s between 2pm-4pm, Wednesday’s 10am-12pm and Friday’s between 1pm-3pm. We can advise and assist with the topics discussed or signpost you to the right team or organisations to seek additional support.