You must be habitually resident in Northern Ireland and have a right to reside in the UK in order to be eligible for assistance as a homeless person and in order to claim benefits, such as Housing Benefit and Universal Credit. You can also be found ineligible for help as a homeless person if you have been involved in antisocial behaviour.
You will only have a right to reside in Northern Ireland if you are lawfully here. Certain people will automatically have a right to reside, such as British and Irish nationals. For people from other countries, your right to remain depends on your nationality and, often, on your work history.
There are different rules for people who are from European Economic Area (EEA) countries and for people from outside the EEA.