In order to claim Housing or Council Tax Benefit you must have the Right to Reside and be Habitually Resident within the United Kingdom.
Right to reside
You must provide your birth certificate, passport or ID card and, if you are a national of the European Economic Area (EEA), evidence of your economic status, to confirm your right to reside.
Habitual residence
Once you have shown that you have a right to reside you must also prove habitual residence before you can get these benefits.
A decision maker will decide if you are habitually resident by asking you things like:
- whether you have worked in the UK
- how long you have lived abroad
- why you have come to the UK
- how you plan to support yourself in the UK
- how long you plan to stay in the UK.
You may be treated as habitually resident if you:
- are a refugee
- have exceptional leave to enter and remain in Great Britain
- have humanitarian protection or discretionary leave to remain in the UK
- are a national of the European Economic Area (EEA) who has recently been employed or self-employed in the UK
- are a member of the family of a national of the European Economic Area (EEA) who has recently been employed or self-employed in the UK
- left Montserrat after 1 November 1995 because of the volcanic eruption
- have been deported to the UK.