They had been granted refugee status a few days after registering their baby’s birth. They made a joint claim for Child Tax Credit soon afterward but were not given a decision for over four months.

They contacted HMRC on three occasions and were told that their case was with the compliance unit and that they should allow four weeks for their claim to be processed. The same explanation was given to a British Red Cross support worker who enquired why the claim to CTC had not been processed when Child Benefit had been awarded.

British Red Cross then contacted the Law Centre for help. The Law Centre adviser notified HMRC that if a decision was not made within 14 days she would initiate JR proceedings. HMRC promptly awarded weekly payments of £63.84 and paid nearly £1,295.04 in arrears.

This case illustrates an issue the Law Centre has often encountered, with refugees experiencing unexplained delays with payment of tax credits. The problems often appear to be resolved only when HMRC are threatened with legal action on a case-by-case basis.

The Law Centre has met with HMRC to address the causes of these delays in processing.

Others affected and their representatives should take advice from Law Centre (NI)’s specialist social security advice line: 028 9024 4401