Table Of Contents:
- What is the Windrush Compensation scheme 2025
- Who Can Apply for the Windrush Compensation Scheme in 2025
- Losses You Can Claim For
- Eligibility for the Windrush Compensation Scheme in 2025
- Who cannot apply for the Windrush Compensation Scheme
- How to Apply for the Windrush Compensation Scheme in 2025
- Receiving the Compensation Payment
- If You Are Unhappy With the Offer
- Final Thoughts
The Windrush compensation scheme was set up to assist eligible individuals. Eligible individuals for this scheme are the victims of the Windrush generation who suffered losses in the UK, such as loss of job, housing, healthcare, banking, and education, as a result of being unable to show their lawful right to remain in the UK. The Windrush generation is those who legally arrived in the UK from Commonwealth countries, predominantly from the Caribbean, from 1948 to 1973.
The term ‘Windrush’ refers to the ship MV Empire Windrush. This ship arrived at a UK port in June 1948. It brought citizens of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and other islands in response to post-war labour shortages in the UK.
The Windrush generation, who settled in the UK on 1 January 1973, were granted ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) status under the Immigration Act 1971. This entitled them to live in the UK lawfully, but they were not given a document confirming their right to enter or remain.
What is the Windrush Compensation scheme 2025?
The Windrush scheme was enacted to assist the victims of the Windrush scandal. The Windrush generation and, in some cases, their descendants suffered due to the Windrush scandal, which began to surface in 2017. In this scandal, hundreds of Commonwealth citizens, including many from the ‘Windrush’ generation, had been wrongly deported, detained, removed, and denied legal rights.
The Windrush scheme was set up to address situations where an applicant from the Windrush generation has gaps in, or entirely lacks, documentary evidence and hence finds it difficult to prove their right to work, rent their homes, have a bank account, and receive healthcare in the UK. The Windrush compensation scheme was set up to provide financial compensation to those affected by the Home Office in the Windrush Scandal.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme allows eligible individuals to claim compensation. The UK government in 2025 announced a £1.5 million fund to support access to compensation for victims of the Windrush scandal.
Who Can Apply for the Windrush Compensation Scheme in 2025?
Those who suffered losses because they had no documents to prove that they had the right to live in the UK may be able to claim compensation which means they can apply for the ‘Windrush Compensation Scheme’.
You can apply for the scheme if one of the following is true:
- You came to the UK before 1973 from a Commonwealth country.
- Your grandparents or parents came to the UK before 1973 from a Commonwealth country.
- You came to the UK before 31 December 1988 from any country and are now settled in the UK. You can also apply for the compensation scheme if you are:
- A close family member of someone eligible to claim Windrush compensation, and you suffered significant losses yourself.
- Representative of an estate who would have been eligible for the scheme.
Losses You Can Claim For
If your losses are related to the following, you may be entitled to claim compensation:
- Detention, deportation, removal, or return
- Immigration fees and legal costs
- Loss of access to employment
- Education
- Housing
- Health
- Homelessness
- Living Costs
- Driving licences
- Banking
- Impact on life
- Non-financial remedies
Eligibility for the Windrush Compensation Scheme in 2025
You can apply for the Windrush Compensation Scheme in 2025 if:
- You are a Commonwealth citizen and settled in the UK before 1 January 1973, and you are either continuously resident in the UK or your settled status lapsed, but you are now lawfully in the UK.
- You are a Commonwealth citizen and you have the right of abode or you are an ordinarily resident in the UK on 1 January 1973.
- You are a child of a Commonwealth citizen, either born in the UK or arrived in the UK before you turned 18, and your parent either:
o Settled before 1 January 1973
o Has a right of abode and was ordinarily resident in the UK on 1 January 1973 (or satisfied this provision and is now a British citizen
o Satisfied one of these provisions, but is now deceased
- You are a grandchild of a Commonwealth citizen and you and your parent were either born in the UK or arrived in the UK before the age of 18, and your grandfather either:
o Settled before 1 January 1973
o Has a right of abode and was ordinarily resident in the UK on 1 January 1973 (or satisfied this
provision and is now a British citizen)
o Satisfied one of these provisions, but is now deceased
- You are of any nationality and you arrived in the UK before 31 December 1988, and you either have settled status, right of abode, or are now a British citizen.
- You are a Commonwealth citizen outside the UK, settled in the UK before 1 January 1973, and you:
o Have a right of abode
o Have settled status
o Are a British citizen
o Your settled status has lapsed because you left the UK for more than 2 years
- You are a deceased estate, and the person who dies would have been eligible for the scheme as a primary claimant.
- You are a close family member and have a lawful status in the UK.
You can apply for the Windrush Compensation Scheme in 2025 as a primary applicant, as a close family member, or as a representative of an estate.
Hence, there are 3 types of claimants.
- Primary claimant
- Close family members
- Deceased estates
1. Primary Claimant
You can apply as a primary claimant if one of the following is true:
- You arrived in the UK before 1973 from a Commonwealth country.
- Your parents or grandparents arrived in the UK before 1973 from a Commonwealth country.
- You arrived in the UK before 31 December 1988 from any country and are now settled in the UK.
You will need to prove that you went through losses because you could not prove your right to live in the UK.
2. Close Family Members
You must prove that you suffered a loss because your close family member could not prove their right to live in the UK.
The close family member must be your partner, child, parent, brother, or sister. They do not need to have made a Windrush Compensation Scheme claim, but they must be or have been eligible.
If you are under 18, your parent or guardian needs to submit the Windrush compensation claim on your behalf.
3. Diseased Estates
If you are claiming on behalf of an estate, you must prove that the person who died:
- Would have been eligible for the scheme as a primary claimant.
- Suffered losses because they could not prove that they had a right to stay in the UK.
Who cannot apply for the Windrush Compensation Scheme?
You cannot apply for the Windrush compensation scheme if:
- You are in the UK without lawful status.
- You do not meet one of the specific eligibility criteria, even if you have evidence to show that you were impacted by measures designed to control access to work, benefits, and services, or were detained or removed.
- If your settled status in the UK lapsed after staying overseas for 2 years.
How to Apply for the Windrush Compensation Scheme in 2025?
You can apply for the compensation scheme by email or by post. The application form and the guidance tell you where to send your completed application.
If you are applying as a primary claimant you can apply using Primary claimant: Windrush compensation claim form.
If you are applying as a close family member you can apply using Close family member: Windrush compensation claim form.
If you are applying as representative of an estate you can apply using Representative of an estate: Windrush compensation claim form.
Receiving the Compensation Payment
After applying for the Windrush Compensation Scheme as a primary applicant, family member, or as representative of an estate, the Home Office will contact you to confirm that your claim application has been received.
If you are successful, you will get a letter offering you compensation. You must write back to accept the offer.
After accepting the offer, the money will be paid into your bank account.
If You Are Unhappy With the Offer
You can ask for a review if you are not happy about the compensation decision. You can further ask for an independent adjudicator to look at the result of the review if you are not satisfied with the review result.
Final Thoughts
Many Windrush generations (those who legally arrived in the UK from Commonwealth countries predominantly from the Caribbean, from 1948 to 1973) have suffered severe losses, such as the right to live, work, and access to benefits such as health and education, as a result of the Windrush scandal.
These people were granted indefinite leave to remain, but they were not given any documents. Hence, they could not prove their status in the UK. Due to a lack of evidence of the right to live in the UK, many people from the Windrush generation were deported, detained, and removed from the UK.
The UK government set up the Windrush scheme and the Windrush compensation scheme for such victims. They can apply to claim compensation as a primary claimant, a close family members, or a representative of an estate.
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