Dozens of parents and campaigners gathered outside Parliament on Wednesday to draw attention to the fact that at least 20,000 migrant families in England are still excluded from childcare support – weeks after the Government extended support for parents.

Members of The No Recourse to Public Funds Action Group are calling on childcare for all, no matter their parents’ immigration status. 

A person subject to immigration control cannot claim benefits or assistance unless an exception applies.

Those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), are not the only group to miss out on childcare support, so do mature students, parents working less than 16 hours per week, and those earning less than £8,670 or more than £100,000 per year.

Last year, the Government announced an expansion of extra funded hours of childcare for working parents, promising up to 30 funded hours per week over 38 weeks of the year to children aged nine months and over. Three and four-year-olds had already been entitled to up to 30 hours of childcare each week. In April, two-year-olds became eligible for 15 hours per week, and by September, children as young as nine months will be eligible for 15 hours of free childcare. 

But thousands of NRPF parents – those who might be here to work, study, or join family members in the UK – are struggling to access any of that support even if they meet the 16 hours of work per week requirement, due to their immigration status. The Centre for Analysis for Social Exclusion estimates that 20,000 NRPF parents are missing out. The figure does not include asylum seekers or refugees. 

One member of the group at the protest told Byline Times parents like her are “wanting to work” to pursue their dreams, but are “held back by the crushing weight of childcare costs”.

“Access to childcare isn't just about parents – it's about the future of our children,” the mother, who did not want to be named, said. “Without proper support from an early age, children fall behind in their education, which can have bad, long-term consequences. Sometimes they will never catch up.

"We want our children to be free – free to be equal, free to access education. This discrimination has to stop – let us be equal. Let’s have childcare for all.”

Migrant charity Praxis supported Wednesday's action, which it described as a last resort in response to the Government not acknowledging their concerns.

“Childcare should be available to all families regardless of the colour of their skin, where they were born or the fine print in their passports,” Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz, policy and public affairs manager of Praxis, told Byline Times. She said the charity had been trying to "draw attention" to the issue but the Government has been "too busy to talk to us about our concerns. That’s why we’re taking our message right to their door”.

Joy (not her real name) came to the UK from Ghana in 2019 to join her partner – a Dutchman who had settled status – and was approved for pre-settled status in August 2022. When her partner became abusive, she fled to ensure her safety and that of her new-born daughter and was placed in shared accommodation by the local authority.

It was a "messy situation", she told Byline Times. “My daughter was with me all the time. The health visitor came around and said her speech was delayed – that she needed to mix with friends.”

Without access to public funds, living on section 17 of the Children Act 1989 financial assistance, paying for transport to take her daughter places wasn’t even possible.

Joy got a warehouse job in February 2023, working 24 hours a week, and hoped that once her daughter turned two in July of that year, she would qualify for 15 hours of free childcare. Until then, she paid £187 a week for childcare.

“My daughter was becoming sociable and stabilising – everything was good,” Joy said of that time, even though,  she only had £150 left each month to pay for all their other needs.

When Joy's daughter turned two, she was told that she didn't qualify for free childcare because of her pre-settled status. Already in debt to the childcare provider, Joy had to stop working. 

“I just had to stay home,” she said. “My daughter didn’t cope with it. I was the same. At work, I see people and move on from my situation. But my hands were tied – I couldn’t access childcare.”

Without work, still living in shared accommodation, Joy felt hopeless and wanted to "end my life". "It was too much for me," she told Byline Times.  She had considered returning to Ghana, but cannot afford two plane tickets. 

After nearly eight months of not working, Joy decided the best option was to return to work – despite the childcare costs – until her daughter, a British citizen, could go back to school.

“It’s not fair,” Joy said, adding: “I don’t see why I should be denied childcare when I am working and contributing. Every child is supposed to be treated equally, regardless of their immigration status.”

Preventing parents from accessing free childcare is making it impossible for parents, particularly mothers, to work, Whitaker-Yilmaz told Byline Times: “As women are more likely to be second income earners, this often leaves women unable to afford to work, because the cost of childcare is more than what they would earn at work.

“This leaves a large group of parents who are keen to work simply unable to – something that particularly affects single parents, who are also predominantly women.”

Whitaker-Yilmaz is concerned this issue doesn’t just affect NRPF parents, but their children and the UK’s future economy. 

“Children in migrant families – regardless of where they were born or their own nationality – may only receive half the hours of early education that their peers do, or less,” she said. “This can mean that they start school at a disadvantage, and some may never catch up. Given that this affects children who are, or who may soon become, British citizens themselves, this not only affects children’s life outcomes but also the future economy.”

While parents across the country are struggling to access and afford childcare, Whitaker-Yilmaz said denying all support to some, based on their background, isn’t going to result in better access for others. 

“What’s needed is fundamental reform of the entire system, so that it works better for all families, not a privileged minority,” she said.

“The early education and childcare system is an essential part of our national infrastructure, which not only helps prepare children for school and later life but also enables parents to participate in paid work. What we’d like to see is a system capable of providing universal childcare to all families, no matter their background.”