No recourse to public funds traps families like mine in poverty. It’s time the government ended it

I have been living, working and paying tax in the UK for 13 years. But because of a condition attached to my visa called no recourse to public funds, I am one of four million people in this country blocked from accessing vital support when I need it most. As a result, I have to work three jobs and struggle to afford the basics on top of extortionate visa fees.

I came to the UK from Nigeria because my partner was studying here at the time. The point of these hostile policies is to make people like us leave and stop others from coming. But what if coming here was not your choice? What if you can’t leave because your children were born here?

No recourse to public funds means my children are not entitled to free school meals. It makes them feel like their friends are better than them. It brings down their self-esteem. I wouldn’t want that for any child. My children are British citizens and coming here was not their choice. Why should they suffer?

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We now have four children, all of whom were born here. On the 10-year route to settlement, the immigration pathway my family and I are on, we have to renew our visas every two and a half years. For a family of six over 10 years, this costs almost £100,000. How will I not over-stretch myself, doing jobs that are bad for my wellbeing, to raise this kind of money? It’s easy to see how immigration policies push families into poverty under these conditions.

Whether the work is good or not, whether the environment you’re working in is sanitary or not, whether it’s conducive for you or not, you have no choice because you’ve got house bills to pay. You’ve got heating to pay. You’ve got food to put on the table. Your kids are going on a school trip. You’ve got clothes to buy for them. Any time I have, I have to work to be able to cover these costs and feed my family. I have no time to bond with my own children.

We are a family of six living in a two-bed flat and paying £2,500 rent per month because we are barred from accessing social housing. There isn’t enough space in the house for my children to do their homework, and my 13-year-old daughter needs her own space, but she can’t have it. I can see how it impacts their wellbeing and it is so hard as a parent not to be able to provide what your children need.

The same taxes and national insurance that I pay to our government are paid into the social security net, so others in our community can access it when in need. How is it fair that I am not able to access this safety net when I am in need?

No recourse to public funds is targeting people of colour. We are treated like second-class citizens because we are migrants. What will it take for this country to value our contributions?

I am campaigning with the No Recourse to Public Funds Action Group at Praxis because I don’t want others to go through what I have. Our aim is to ensure that the upcoming Child Poverty Strategy, currently one of the government’s top priorities, ensures migrant families can access the social security system on an equal footing.

In the context of the hostile environment, dehumanising narratives about migrants and refugees, and the rise of the far-right, this is an opportunity for our government to show leadership on upholding the dignity and rights of every child living in the UK.

The inclusion of ending no recourse to public funds into an effective Child Poverty Strategy would be a big win for our campaign. We know the government can do better. A journey of a hundred miles starts with a single step, and I will not stop until every child in this country is equal.

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