The Social Security (Habitual Residence and Past Presence) (Amendment) Regulations 2021

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Part 2 of these Regulations enables certain persons to access income-related benefits upon arrival in Great Britain from Afghanistan, provided they meet the other relevant entitlement conditions.

That Part amends the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 (S.I. 1987/1967), the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/207), the State Pension Credit Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/1792) (“the State Pension Credit Regulations”), the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/213), the Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/214), the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/794) and the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/376) (“the Universal Credit Regulations”) (“the income-related benefit regulations”).

The income-related benefit regulations provide that a person is ineligible for benefit where he or she is a “person from abroad”, “a person not in Great Britain” (for the purposes of the State Pension Credit Regulations) or “a person treated as not being in Great Britain” (for the purposes of the Universal Credit Regulations); that is to say where he or she is not habitually resident in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland, subject to a list of exceptions. The amendments made by these Regulations insert new categories into the list of persons who are exempted from having to satisfy the habitual residence test. Those persons are those to whom leave is granted under the immigration rules by virtue of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy or the previous scheme for locally-employed staff in Afghanistan (otherwise known as the ex-gratia scheme) or to whom leave is granted under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. A further category of persons not coming within the schemes is also inserted, provided they arrived in Great Britain from Afghanistan in connection with the fall of the Afghan government that took place on 15th August 2021.

Part 3 of these Regulations enables certain persons to access disability and carers benefits upon arrival in England and Wales from Afghanistan, provided they meet the other relevant entitlement conditions.

That Part amends the Social Security (Invalid Care Allowance) Regulations 1976 (S.I. 1976/409), the Social Security (Attendance Allowance) Regulations 1991 (S.I. 1991/2740), the Social Security (Disability Living Allowance) Regulations 1991 (S.I. 1991/2890) and the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/377) respectively, to exempt the same group of people from the past presence test and the habitual residence test. This is the test which normally has to be fulfilled in order to claim Carer’s Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment respectively. The past presence test normally requires that an individual has been present in Great Britain for a specified period of time to be eligible for those benefits.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.