Frequently Asked Questions

The Immigration Advice Service: Immigration advice. This service may not be free.

UK Border Agency: Information about immigration and visas from the Home Office

OurSpecialist Immigration Advisers will discuss your issue in confidence and give you impartial advice to help you to find the best way forward.

We can help with:

Post Brexit queries including

• settled and pre settled status
• Letters from the Home Office

• Studying in the UK
• Refugee & Asylum problems including interview, working and status issues
• Your rights
• Access to benefits
• Help with housing,medicalor other services

• Help when you have no recourse to public funds
• British Citizenship for you and for your family
• Visa applications and documentation queries
• Problems with refused visas
• Overstaying

• Residence cards or family permits
• Human Trafficking and employment exploitation concerns
• Living in the UK illegally and deportation
• Windrush applications,documentsand compensation
• Legal issues and accessing the right expert help for your needs

• Sponsorship problems and more.

If you need help with an Immigration issue, call our phone line: 02394 006600 then select Option 3 from the menu to speak to a dedicated adviser. Our Immigration line is currently operating Monday to Friday 10am and 12pm.

You can also call outside of these times to leave us a message and our Immigration staff will call you back as quickly as possible. If you prefer, you can contact the team by sending an email to: Immigration@caportsmouth.org.uk

Citizens Advice – Your energy supply 

Energy Saving Trusthave lots of information about how to save energy around the home and what to do if you are struggling to pay your bills. 

The Energy Grants Calculatorlets you find out what help might be available for you. 

You’re entitled to statutory redundancy pay, which is the minimum the law says you’re entitled to, if you’ve been an employee for two years. The amount you will get depends on your age and how long you have worked for the company. You won’t get statutory redundancy pay if you’ve worked for the company for less than two years, are self-employed or are in certain professions such as the armed forces or police. 
 
You may also lose out on statutory redundancy pay if you turn down a suitable alternative job from your employer without a good reason. Your employer may also pay extra money on top of the statutory amount you’re entitled to - this is called contractual redundancy pay. Some employees may be entitled to contractual redundancy pay even though they are not entitled to statutory redundancy pay.  

Working out what benefits you might be entitled to can seem complex. However, there many calculators that can help you with this. These are available at Turn2Us, EntitledTo and Better Off Calcutaror

If your situation is complex, for example due to anyone in your household being disabled, we would recommend a full benefit check with one of our advisers.

Council Tax Discounts and Benefits Many people who pay their Council Tax and entitled to Council Tax Support, as well as other Council Tax discounts. This support is often unclaimed and you should check if you’re entitled.

Water Bill Discounts You can also get discounts with your water bills if you’re on a low income. Both Southern Water and Portsmouth Water have schemes available that can reduce your bills.

You can be made redundant while on sick leave, but there are rules to protect against discrimination. When deciding whom to make redundant, an employer can take sickness records into account unless the sickness relates to an underlying disability. They should treat any absence related to a disability differently. 
 
If the sick leave is related to a disability, the employer has a duty to make reasonable adjustments to its redundancy processes and decisions. For example, it might disregard some or all of any disability-related absences. But a disabled person may still be lawfully chosen for redundancy if the employer can show that this was justified because it was proportionate when considering the needs of the business. There's  no absolute protection against dismissal or redundancy for disabled people .

You can be made redundant while pregnant or on maternity leave, but there are strict rules that must be followed before this can happen. You can’t be made redundant because you’re pregnant or on maternity leave. If you are this count as “automatic unfair dismissal” and discrimination. 
 
This could be where, for example, the employer has no genuine reason to make you redundant, or there is a real reason to make people redundant, but the employer picks you because of a reason relating to pregnancy or maternity leave. 
 
There is additional protection for women who are on maternity leave, or those on shared parental leave. If you are on maternity or parental leave, and there is a genuine reason to make your role redundant, your employer must offer you suitable alternative work if they have it. They should give you this as a priority over other employees.

You can be made redundant while you’re furloughed, but there are still rules your employer must follow. In a genuine and fair redundancy, employees who are made redundant are entitled to statutory and contractual redundancy payments, notice of their redundancy dismissal and any wages and holiday pay.

Our volunteers assist with form filling. However, we get many requests for assistance and unfortunately this is dependent on our capacity. If we can’t assist, you can approach Advice Portsmouth for assistance, if you live in PO1-PO6, or your local Citizens Advice if you live elsewhere. You can also use the step-by-step form filling guides on our website for PIP, DLA and Attendance Allowance.

Can you help me with Universal Credit?

If you need help claiming Universal Credit our Help to Claim service can help you. Please get in touch by attending our drop in, calling us, or sending us an email using our web form.

Can I meet someone to discuss my problem face-to face?

Yes, if you book an appointment. If we have an adviser available, they’ll be happy to see you face-to-face. You can ask for a face-to-face appointment by attending our drop in, calling us, or sending us an email using our web form.

There are lots of different food banks in Portsmouth that may be able to assist you, as well as places that offer meals. You can find an up-to-date list on the Portsmouth City Council website, here: Advice for residents - coronavirus information - Portsmouth City Council. If you require a food bank voucher, please get in touch with us or any agency that you’re working with. 

All applications for social housing are processed and administered by Portsmouth City Council. For more information about your options, email housing.options@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. Include relevant details about your current circumstances and ideally a contact phone number. You can also phone 023 9283 4989 or visit Housing Options on the first floor of the Civic Offices in Guildhall Square, Portsmouth 

Citizens Advice rely heavily on the work of our volunteers and we are always looking for new volunteers to support our service we have a variety of roles available. If you would like to volunteer, please get in touch.

Our client Database operates on a secure network and we shred any paper with personal details on once it is stored on the database. We only share your details with trusted organisations if you give us permission to do so, in line with our privacy policy.

If you’ve worked for your employer for at least a month you’re entitled to a paid statutory notice period. If you’ve worked there for more than a month but less than two years, you have to be given a week’s notice. For two years or more, it’s a week for each full year you have worked, up to a maximum of 12 weeks. You may be entitled to a longer notice period as part of your employment contract. 
 
Your notice period only starts when your employer says you'll be made redundant and gives you a finishing date - not when your employer says you’re at risk of redundancy. 
 
If your employer is making 20 or more people redundant, you’re part of a ‘collective redundancy’, which means your employer has to hold a group consultation. This must start at least 30 days before anyone’s job ends. If 100 or more people are being made redundant, group meetings must start at least 45 days before anyone’s job ends.

There are many organisations who offer free advice on debt, and you should ask whoever you approach to confirm that they offer a free service so that any payments you make go towards reducing your debts. Citizens Advice offers a full range of debt solutions, and like all professional debt advisers we will always seek the most appropriate solution for your specific circumstances.

Check on citizens advice where you will find the legal holiday entitlement. You will need to check your contract of employment too. If you have a union, your union representative may help resolve the issue 

You can be made redundant if the business where you work is closing down. 
 
Hopefully your employer will have enough cash to pay all of its workers all of the termination payments they are owed, such as notice pay, redundancy payments, and wages and holiday pay owed. If not, the government’s Redundancy Payment Service may cover some of what you’re owed under statutory rules, which is the minimum you’re entitled to under the law. 

Money Advice Service :Money Advice and Pensions Service

National Debtline: Free internet and phone advice about debt.

Payplan: Free debt advice and support over the internet or phone. This service is suitable for people whoare able tomake regular payments towards their debts. If you prefer face to face advice and support, or if you are unable to makepayments,please contactCitizens Advice Portsmouth.

Step Change Debt Charity (formally Consumer Credit Counselling Service): Free debt advice and support over the internet or phone. This service is suitable for people whoare able tomake regular payments towards their debts. If you prefer face to face advice and support, or if you are unable to makepayments,please contactCitizens Advice Portsmouth

BusinessDebtline: Free confidential debt advice for small businesses.

Citizens Advice public site: Comprehensive advice on many subjects, provided by the national Citizens Advice service.

Citizens Advice Consumer Service: Advice on consumer issues managed by the Citizens Advice service.

TVlicensing.co.uk Information on the different ways to pay for your TV Licence and the concessions available.

Money Advice Service:a charity formed in 1991 to increase the quality and availability of free, independent money advice to people with debt problems.

Personal Finance Education Group: pfeg is the UK’s leadingfinancial education charity. We provideresources and lesson plans, help and advice to anyone teaching children and young people about money.

Money Saving Expert: Tips on financial management and how to save money on a wide range of financial products.