No, refugees arriving under the Community Sponsorship scheme have the same rights and entitlements of British citizens. This means they can claim benefits, such as Universal Credit, to support themselves as they search for work. This includes Housing Benefit to help with their rent. This means that to a large extent, refugee families coming to Britain through Community Sponsorship have financial independence – your role will be to provide back-up and additional support.

However, if the rent of the house you secure is above the Housing Benefits rate, you may need to top-up the difference, so that it is affordable for the family.