Means-tested Policy

TULIA GROUP COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY 

April 2022

Tulia Group is a Community Interest Company  that was set up to provide a combination of free, high quality immigration  advice and low cost advice coupled with  vital support to vulnerable Migrants , Refugees and Asylum Seekers and their families living in the UK. Primarily, our work is aimed at those who, for a range of different reasons, may need additional help when applying to remain in the UK.  

Tulia operates a means-test to allocate our resources efficiently and maximise our impact. The means-test is intended to assist Tulia to identify and prioritise clients for our email and in-person advice services. We use the answers provided to the questions on our means-test as a guide, but we also have a section for clients to provide additional information that we will take into account.  

We allocate our resources on a case-by-case basis, but use the following guidelines  to prioritise cases in periods of limited or restricted capacity:  

Benefits  

Citizens who are in receipt of benefits are a high priority because they may not  have the resources to pay for legal advice or to make an application unaided. For  example, recipients of Personal Independence Payments, who may live with a disability which limits their ability to complete their application without further assistance, would be prioritised in our means-testing process.  

Dependents  

Tulia prioritises clients with dependent family members. We aim to help the maximum number of people secure their status, and those seeking legal  assistance who have dependent others - such as children or elderly parents - may have limited resources and may require assistance from a caseworker with a number of different applications.  

Disabilities and Mental Health Concerns 

Clients who declare a disability or mental health issue are prioritised by Tulia. We are committed to helping those who face barriers to making an application unassisted, and consider that individuals who live with physical or mental health problems should be prioritised in our means-testing process. 

Homelessness or in Temporary Accommodation 

Clients  who are homeless, or living in temporary accommodation are prioritised by Tulia. These citizens are unlikely to be able to afford or have access to legal advice. Furthermore, their living situation may result in their applications being more complex.  

Income and Savings  

Where capacity is limited, Tulia is unable to provide support to applicants who have a combined household income of over £25,000 per year. In some cases,  exceptional circumstances (such as where there are a high number of dependents) will be considered. In addition, applicants with over £10,000 in savings, who therefore could likely pay for legal assistance, will not be considered for our in person advice services. We do offer a low cost option.   

Property  

Tulia will consider property owners in limited circumstances, such as where mortgage repayments are ongoing or where the home was previously bought under Right to Buy. The value of the property will also be taken into consideration, and further details should be provided in the final section of the application. We are  unable to consider landlords for our in-person advice services.  

Roma Community  

Citizens from the Roma community (numbering around 300,000 in the UK in total)  are designated as a high priority for Tulia’s in-person advice services. Charities working with the community have expressed concerns that members of this group may have limited access to the resources and documentation needed to make an application. We therefore consider that Tulia’s resources must be directed as far as possible to helping overcome the barriers that members of this group face in securing their status in the UK.  

Other Vulnerable Citizens 

Where Tulia caseworker positions are funded to provide free immigration services to vulnerable citizens not otherwise mentioned in this policy, such citizens’ cases will also be prioritised. This includes, but is not limited to: victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking, elderly citizens, children in care, and care leavers.