New Guidance for Financial Health Checks Appropriate to Migrants Needs

Rebecca Kay, Migration Policy Scotland, shares information about a new resource to support advice services who are supporting migrants to maximise their income. The resource was developed in partnership with two Edinburgh Advice Network member organisations; Citizens Advice Edinburgh and Citizens Rights Project.

'Financial health checks are an important part of income maximization support and advice services. However, benefit checks are often a main focus. This can be less helpful for migrant service users – especially those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). This can even reinforce the feeling that there is no help available.

In our policy laboratory we worked with advice services to develop new guidance on financial health checks for migrants. The guidance is designed to support advisors and case workers to use Financial Health Checks more effectively when supporting migrants:

• It takes account of the specific financial challenges faced by migrants and their households.

• It provides a step by step outline of the different pathways to support they may need to follow.

• It foregrounds forms of assistance for which all Scottish residents are eligible

• It guides advisors through more complex eligibility checks.

You can download the guidance using the link on the right.

We partnered with Citizens Advice Edinburgh and Citizens Rights Project to develop this resource and will continue to work with them to trial and refine it.

If you are interested in using the resource in your organisation and if you have feedback on how we can refine it please get in touch. Rebecca@migrationpolicyscotland.org.uk

Find out more about Migration Policy Scotland research on how migrants are disproportionately affected by poverty in Scotland here.

Download a copy of the resource at:

Guidance for Financial Health Checks Appropriate to Migrants Needs'