Migrants and their rights to housing

The housing rights of migrants emanate from a complex array of immigration, housing and social security legislation.  The aim of this one-day course is to enable participants to understand the housing rights of migrants living in Northern Ireland. Housing rights in this context refers to the right to:

• Access social housing
• Access homelessness assistance
• Access Housing Benefit to pay for accommodation.

The course will focus on:

• The distinct categories of migrants
• The rights of migrants to reside in the UK
• The rights of migrants to work in the UK and the impact of their economic status (or lack of) on their rights to access social housing and homelessness assistance and housing benefit
• Help available to migrants from Social Services
• Help available to asylum seekers and refugees.

In all of this we will pay particular attention to the various pieces of legislation, which are crucial to understanding and advising on this topic.

Who should attend?

This course will be of particular importance to housing advisers, benefits advisers, community groups, political party constituency offices, private, social and hostel accommodation providers and the legal profession.