We’re used to British citizens applying for benefits, but we learned today through a phone call that those whose spouses are EU citizens and who are also considered EU citizens have also applied for benefits and received Universal Credit and child benefits for many years.
A couple whose benefits were cancelled in December contacted us to explain their situation and ask if there was a solution. They received a letter from DWP stating that their benefits were cut in December because they were not British. This couple, who had been receiving benefits for years despite being EU citizens, rightly asked, “There were no problems until now, why did they suddenly cut our benefits? Do you have any advice?” Furthermore, DWP said they would reclaim past benefits.
It’s truly bizarre. Either the institution providing these benefits didn’t investigate at all, or EU citizens were also eligible to apply for any benefit. If they were entitled to it, why were their benefits cut?
We don’t know how many more people are affected. It seems that everyone who applied to DWP for benefits received payments for many years. We don’t know if they woke up after the government’s recent immigration decisions, or if EU citizens actually had such a right before. We’ll let you know when we find out.