UNIVERSAL CREDIT AND NATURALISATION

[tsar_bomb36]

I am eligible for naturalisation after being granted ILR and I intend to apply for naturalisation soon. My issue is, I applied for universal credit as a single parent to help rent a two bedroom flat and also advanced payment a few months ago. I was granted advanced payment of about £330 but did not receive universal credit because they deemed my income to be sufficient to pay my rent. I am also in receipt of a 25% discount on council tax as a single parent. I have asked my universal credit application to be closed and intend to repay the advanced payment. My query is, will my naturalisation application be affected by the advanced payment and discount on council tax? Is it advisable to repay the advanced payment before I make my naturalisation application?
Thanks in advance

[JB007]

My issue is, I applied for universal credit as a single parent to help rent a two bedroom flat and also advanced payment a few months ago. I was granted advanced payment of about £330 but did not receive universal credit because they deemed my income to be sufficient to pay my rent.
...
I have asked my universal credit application to be closed and intend to repay the advanced payment. My query is, will my naturalisation application be affected by the advanced payment and discount on council tax? Is it advisable to repay the advanced payment before I make my naturalisation application?
Thanks in advance

How did you get an advance of Universal Credit payment and get a UC claim opened if you didn't qualify for Universal Credit? If you had given them the correct figures then you would not have had a Universal Credit claim opened. Did you give them the correct fiqures on your UC claim form?

If you need help to pay your bills or cover other costs while you wait for your first Universal Credit payment, you can apply to get an advance.

The most you can get as an advance is the amount of your first estimated payment.

https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/get ... st-payment

This is the Good Character requirement for citizenship.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... #deception

I am also in receipt of a 25% discount on council tax as a single parent.

The 25% discount is for a single person reduction if there is only one person liable for council tax at the property, not becaouse you are a single parent: it's not a public fund. It's Council Tax Reduction that is Public funds.

As I assume you have ILR to be able to apply for citizenship and those on ILR can have public funds, if they qualify. Which you did not.

Even if you did give them the correct fiqures on your UC claim form and in the unlikely event that they made the errror, Universal Credit law states that this money must still be returneted to the welfare state.

[JB007]

My issue is, I applied for universal credit as a single parent to help rent a two bedroom flat and also advanced payment a few months ago. I was granted advanced payment of about £330 but did not receive universal credit because they deemed my income to be sufficient to pay my rent.

Are you a single parent? Or does your child live with your wife and sometimes stays with you? From your previous thread, you stated that you were no longer with your British citizen wife?
indefinite-leave-to-remain/statement-of ... l#p1568784

When you applied for Universal Credit, did you state that you were a single parent (claimed extra welfare money for child and the UC work allowance for that child) when that child really lives with their mother and only visits you?

I'm trying to work out how you got a Universal Credit claim opened and got an advance due to desitution, when you you state that UC are now saying you earn too much for any UC payments.

[tsar_bomb36]

I am not a single parent in the sense that my child lives with me. My son lives with his mother and only visits me from time to time. I made this very clear in my application. My son's mother is the one in receipt of benefits. She has always been. I have not applied nor receive any benefits except universal credit which I applied for in December last year on the basis that I live in a shared accommodation with about 6 other housemates in a 6 bedroom house, earning less than enough to be able to afford a two bedroom house so that my son can visit and sleep over. I gave accurate earnings and my application for UC was under in danger of homelessness.

[tsar_bomb36]

Let me also add that shortly after my UC application, I moved from the multiple shared occupation into a two bedroom flat and also got a second job that pays more. All I want to do now is re-pay the advance UC payments I received and but when I phoned to pay it off I was told my UC account needs to be closed first before I can make any re-payments. Is the 25% council tax discount not going to be a problem then?

[JB007]

I am not a single parent in the sense that my child lives with me. My son lives with his mother and only visits me from time to time.

Then you are not a single parent at all as your son lives with his mother. Your claim for Universal Credit should have been made as a single adult.

I made this very clI have not applied nor receive any benefits except universal credit which I applied for in December last year on the basis that I live in a shared accommodation with about 6 other housemates in a 6 bedroom house, earning less than enough to be able to afford a two bedroom house so that my son can visit and sleep over. I gave accurate earnings and my application for UC was under in danger of homelessness.

Benefits don't pay for a bedroom for when your son visits from time to time. Nor could you use your son to iget Universal Credit/ increase a UC payment.


As a single person withouit a child, you were only allowed to have the 1 bedroom element of Universal Credit if you are over age 35, as you are a single person fotr benefit purposes. You were not allowed the working element that a parent has, that has a taper on their earnings, as you are not a single parent.The amount of UC for a single person without a child, is very low, which is why many can't have UC as they earn too much.


What do you mean by this?

I was granted advanced payment of about £330 but did not receive universal credit because they deemed my income to be sufficient to pay my rent.

Did you take an advance payment of UC based on what you put in your claim form, but when the DWP checked it, they found you were not allowed UC as you are a single male who cannot have the 2 bedroom rate or the work allowance?

It was your responsibilty to ensure you claimed as a single person. It was your responsibilty to check that the details were recorded correctly on your online UC account.

[JB007]

Is the 25% council tax discount not going to be a problem then?

As already said, it's not the 25% discount that will be a problem, as long as you live on your own in your home.

Apply for a discount or exemption

You need to apply for a Council Tax discount or an exemption, even if you’re disregarded.

You’ll get 50% off your bill if everyone living in your household is disregarded.

You’ll get 25% off your bill if you pay Council Tax and either:

you live on your own
everyone else in your home is disregarded

https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/who-has-to-pay

[tsar_bomb36]

I am not a single parent in the sense that my child lives with me. My son lives with his mother and only visits me from time to time.

Then you are not a single parent at all as your son lives with his mother. Your claim for Universal Credit should have been made as a single adult.

I made this very clI have not applied nor receive any benefits except universal credit which I applied for in December last year on the basis that I live in a shared accommodation with about 6 other housemates in a 6 bedroom house, earning less than enough to be able to afford a two bedroom house so that my son can visit and sleep over. I gave accurate earnings and my application for UC was under in danger of homelessness.

Benefits don't pay for a bedroom for when your son visits from time to time. Nor could you use your son to iget Universal Credit/ increase a UC payment.


As a single person withouit a child, you were only allowed to have the 1 bedroom element of Universal Credit if you are over age 35, as you are a single person fotr benefit purposes. You were not allowed the working element that a parent has, that has a taper on their earnings, as you are not a single parent.The amount of UC for a single person without a child, is very low, which is why many can't have UC as they earn too much.


What do you mean by this?

I was granted advanced payment of about £330 but did not receive universal credit because they deemed my income to be sufficient to pay my rent.

Did you take an advance payment of UC based on what you put in your claim form, but when the DWP checked it, they found you were not allowed UC as you are a single male who cannot have the 2 bedroom rate or the work allowance?

It was your responsibilty to ensure you claimed as a single person. It was your responsibilty to check that the details were recorded correctly on your online UC account.

''Did you take an advance payment of UC based on what you put in your claim form, but when the DWP checked it, they found you were not allowed UC as you are a single male who cannot have the 2 bedroom rate or the work allowance?''

Yes please, I took advance payment based on what I put in my claim and then later on not receive universal credit because they deemed my income sufficient. All I want to do now is pay off the advance payment of about £330, then close my universal credit account. Do you advice this is the best way forward before I put in my application for naturalisation?

[JB007]

Yes please, I took advance payment based on what I put in my claim and then later on not receive universal credit because they deemed my income sufficient. All I want to do now is pay off the advance payment of about £330, then close my universal credit account. Do you advice this is the best way forward before I put in my application for naturalisation?

I have no idea how claiming to be a single parent to take low income benefits (when you were not a single parent) and asking for and taking an advance benefit payment due to destition as a single parent, will be viewed under deception. In this thread indefinite-leave-to-remain/statement-of ... l#p1568784 you said you applied for a visitor visa before and then overstayed for 5 years.
Others on here might know.

If you have taken money from the welfare state based on you stating you were a single parent when you were not, which meant you were not allowed this money, you have to pay it back.

[tsar_bomb36]

To be clear about the situation, I did not intentioanally mean to fraudulently collect money from public funds. I genuinely thought i qualified based on my conditions at the time, and reccommendation from a friend. My earnings were barely enough to get me by, I had credit card debts and other debts that made it impossible for me to rent a two bedroom flat. Also, I made it perfectly clear my son lives mostly with his mother and she is the main parent, and only visits me about two days a week. I think my application was based on being the other parent and not just a and not just a single parentg. I am aware as the other parent, one is entitled to help with rent if it's a one bedroom flat, and because I moved into a two bedroom flat, my intention was to pay off the difference in rent should I successful in geting help from universal credit. This was perfectly understood between myself and universal credit. I did not expect univeersal credit to pay a chunk of the rent for the two bedroom flat. They were to give me universal credit based on one bedroom, then I'll pay the difference for the other bedroom. Once a child is above 12 years old or so, it is inappropriate to share the same bedroom with him, and because I lived in a shared accommodation at the time, it will be classified as overcrowded if he visits and sleeps over. It is based on this that I applied for universal credit to help me with the rent. At first, universal credit asked for a complete breakdown of how my rent is used to pay water bills,m internet and rent. I was not able to provide this because in a shared accomodation we payed rent inclusive of all bills, so universal credit were unable to help me with any payments because I could not get a complete breakdown of the rent. About a month later, I moved into the two bedroom flat. Now, all i want to do is repay back the advanced payment, but I'ved been told i can only re-pay once my universal credit account has been been closed.I am now making efforts to have my uc credit account closed, then pay back the advanced payment

[JB007]

My earnings were barely enough to get me by, I had credit card debts and other debts that made it impossible for me to rent a two bedroom flat.

Universal Credit is based on your net income, not on what is left after debt payments. Contact a free debt advisor for advice about your debts.

I think my application was based on being the other parent and not just a and not just a single parent.

The welfare state will not pay twice for the same child and as you have said, your wife claims the welfare benefits for your child. You are a single adult for benefit purposes.

Once a child is above 12 years old or so, it is inappropriate to share the same bedroom with him, and because I lived in a shared accommodation at the time, it will be classified as overcrowded if he visits and sleeps over.

It’s was not overcrowded for you in the HMO, as your son lives with his mother. You are not a single parent.

At first, universal credit asked for a complete breakdown of how my rent is used to pay water bills,m internet and rent. I was not able to provide this because in a shared accomodation we payed rent inclusive of all bills, so universal credit were unable to help me with any payments because I could not get a complete breakdown of the rent.

About a month later, I moved into the two bedroom flat.

Why wouldn’t you give UC a breakdown of your rent? Although you stated earlier that your UC claim ended as you earned too much.

I applied for universal credit as a single parent to help rent a two bedroom flat and also advanced payment a few months ago. I was granted advanced payment of about £330 but did not receive universal credit because they deemed my income to be sufficient to pay my rent.

My issue is, I applied for universal credit as a single parent to help rent a two bedroom flat an a few months ago. I was granted advanced payment of about £330 but did not receive universal credit because they deemed my income to be sufficient to pay my rent.

UC doesn’t give money to help you rent another property. The claimant needs to provide the signed tenancy agreement of the property they are now living in, which was your HMO (shared accommodation tenancy agreement) to be able to receive the housing element of Universal Credit. You seemd to have provided that to the DWP but didn’t give a breakdown they requested, of what the rent was minus the bills. Then you moved.

Let me also add that shortly after my UC application, I moved from the multiple shared occupation into a two bedroom flat and also got a second job that pays more.

And you would have needed to show the landlord that you earned enough to be able to have that property.