Appalling service from migration helpline

Just spoken to a client who rang the helpline a few weeks ago as had received a migration notice.
She had lots of questions about TP etc but also mentioned that her son is 19 and in FT education.
The advisor could not answer any of her questions. He used a ‘group chat’ and said that 6 of his colleagues also couldn’t answer. No one picked up on the relevance of her son’s age.
She rang again today and spoke to three different advisers.
She explained that the notice should be deferred as child 19.
They all said they didn’t know what she was taking about, it doesn’t matter how old your child is and insisted she had to claim by the deadline or she would lose her benefits and TP.
She finally got the last adviser to google 19 years old in FT education who found what she is talking about and deferred her migration notice.
He had been in the job two weeks and knew nothing about this policy but, to be fair, neither did his colleagues.
Frightening.

I’ll send that example to the UC engagement team - let me know if you have others

This certainly stands in stark contrast to the great confidence shown by DWP in its own ability to advise claimants.

In a recent meeting which I requested owing to the multiple support needs of the claimant, I was in effect asked why I was making such a fuss, the helpline would sort everything out. But first of all they have got be alert to all the problems inherent in the query, and to the best solutions -  which, as per the above, they probably aren’t.

I had something similar recently where we called UC migration line as a client who is terminally ill and who would need a home visit, had been sent a migration notice. We explained to the helpline advisor that this should be deferred and we were told that they were not grounds for having the migration deferred. Advisor even went off and spoke to a colleague and called me back and re-iterated the same thing. She advised that if we defer it, then when he does move, he would lose any transitional protection that he may have been entitled to, which spooked the client.

Spoke to our Partnership manager who managed to speak to somebody else who did defer it but it means that we have to continue to get a new deferral every few months which isn’t ideal.

It is worrying that there may be a lot of misinformation being passed on when people call the Migration line.

Client has tried to get an extension of their migration day deadline through the UC migration helpline. Deadline day is 20 July, 9 days away.  Cited the good reasons for why - because she needs help to claim (English as second language) and time to get her papers in order after starting new job. First call she made to helpline- interrogated as to why, not given an answer to whether she could have an extension, told she would get a call back at 3pm today with a decision. No call. Client called them again, no decision, told she will get a call back within 7 days of her migration deadline day, not to call again, it was logged for UC to call her.

Obvioulsy we can’t rely on that indeterminate call time - she’s in work 36 hpw so high risk she’ll miss the callback.

I’m a part-time worker, making it extra hard for me to fit in time to assist clients with their claims if they aren’t granted the extension.  By luck I can fit her in on her day off on Monday,  but by cancelling something else. 

Clients are going to have a struggle if they only have a week left to claim after the refusal of an extension. 

This is a single parent with 4 kids who worked two jobs through June, and the new job is ten hours more per week and better pay. She’d been trying for two years to get a job in the NHS as she’d eventually like to do nurse training. UC should be helping not obstructing here. Surely she’s the sort of person who should get an extension as she meets two of the suggested discretionary criteria.  Any tips for how to handle a joint call to the helpline to try and persuade them to give us a decision on Monday?  I’m going to quote the guidance of course. I understand it’s discretionary but I feel like if not a case like this, then who gets the extension, do you have to be in hospital or a similar dire situation?

  We are finding clients are getting a very variable response from the Managed Migration helpline.
2 weeks ago a gentleman with learning disabilities presented for help to claim following his Migration Notice.  His deadline date was over a week away,  but he had no paperwork etc.
We called the migration helpline, and explained the vulnerabilities. We were initially told he would get a call back later that day.  We asked for the decision to be escalated, the officer spoke to their supervisor and an extension was agreed immediately.  Last week, with another client we were told by the MM helpline that it was not possible to grant an extension if the client calls more than a week before their deadline because their “system” doesn’t allow for this.
Yesterday,  we had another client who had presented with only 6 days to go to their deadline date.  We explained that an extension was needed as the client has severe dyslexia and has mental health issues, and we needed time to arrange appropriate support with making the claim. This time the officer said she would get a response in 24 to 48 hours and advised that this was a set time frame, and it was not possible to get an immediate decision.  We asked to speak to a supervisor, and after a number of refusals, the officer eventually agreed her supervisor would phone us . When the supervisor did call her attitude was that the client had had months to make her claim,  that making these decisions is not her main job, and stated ‘I am not sitting around waiting for extensions to come through my inbox I have other things to do, we will get back to the client within 48 hours’.
This supervisor disputed that it was possible for more immediate decisions to be made. She also reiterated that it was impossible for them to grant extensions,  if the client calls more than one week before their deadline date.
Have other advisers been told that decisions take 24 - 48 hours?  Have others been told that the client can only ask for an extension if they have less than a week to go before their deadline date?
What success have others had at getting the Migration Helpline to be more responsive?

I have also heard reports of clients being told it’s “too early” to request an extension and have been wondering how early is too early.  If a client is able to diarise ringing back within a week time slot, and then does so, they probably don’t need an extension.

We’ve just had a client who wanted an extension to their 16/08 deadline - family with multiple disabled children and adults in the household who have found themselves without LA care provision during school holidays, but have been provided with a respite break which would mean they missed that deadline.

On ringing the migration helpline last week, they were directed to ring Income Support, who then redirected them back to the migration helpline, who then told them they were too early to request an extension.

I picked this up with our partnership manager and a few emails later, this is the response we had:

“This is the kind of information to share when requesting an extension (See below) – the agent should then add some detail to the notes as to why it is required – and does meet the criteria – so won’t be a problem getting a 4 week extension if they ring next week – as long as its is before their deadline date when they ring – the recommendation is a week before – that will then extend it beyond the respite break”

“• not engaging in the Move to Universal Credit process until their deadline date was already very close
• needing more time to get the necessary documentation, evidence or information to make their claim
• needing more time to get support with making their claim
• the claimant has planned hospital treatment (or a similar commitment) that means they would be unable to make a claim by their deadline date
This list is not exhaustive.”

So it’s a ‘recommendation’ not a rule!

Yesterday I rang the UC Migration helpline with a couple who need to make a telephone claim - this is what our Local Partnership Manger told us we should do in these situations.  The call handler told me that they can’t take a telephone claim and offered to put us through to the Cit A Help to Claim line.  I don’t think he believed me when I told him that Help to Claim only do online claims.  I asked to speak to a supervisor who then looked up in the guidance (!) and directed me to the main Universal Credit number.

Help to Claim can make phone claims with clients.