The Windrush Compensation Scheme project set up by ACLC (the African Caribbean Leadership Company Ltd) will start in April 2022 and run through to 31st March 2023. The scheme aims to inform members of the local community that compensation is still available for eligible applicants, and to encourage them to come forward to exercise their rights! The scheme will provide outreach visits to churches, social clubs and other venues offering information, help and direction on where to obtain personal, confidential support, and help to complete the application form.

Background

This compensation scheme (“the Scheme”) is designed to compensate individuals who have suffered loss in connection with being unable to demonstrate their lawful status in the United Kingdom. Those most affected are often referred to as the “Windrush generation”. This name refers to the “Empire Windrush”, one of the first ships that brought workers from Caribbean islands to the United Kingdom in 1948, in response to labour shortages following the Second World War. The Scheme is not limited by reference to those connected to that ship or those with a family connection to the Caribbean. For those most affected, their lawful right to stay in the United Kingdom stems from arriving and settling in the United Kingdom, mainly but not exclusively from Commonwealth countries, before 1 January 1973. In these cases, the right to stay in the United Kingdom derives directly from the Immigration Act 1971 without the need for any documentation. However, the Scheme is open to any eligible person who arrived in the United Kingdom before 1988 from any country who is lawfully in the United Kingdom. In certain cases, individuals based overseas may also be able to claim. The Scheme is also open to close family members of those groups.

(Ref: Windrush Compensation Scheme Rules January 2022, Home Office)

Click for Windrush Question & Answers