Government-funded early education and childcare in Northern Ireland is not classed as a 'public fund' for immigration purposes, so can be accessed by a child regardless of their immigration status.
The following schemes are available to families in Northern Ireland:
12.5 hours/week or 2.5 hours/day (5 days/week) for all 3 and 4-year-olds
Families in Northern Ireland can access tax-free childcare but the parents will need to meet an immigration requirement.
Through the Department for Education’s Pre-School Education Programme in Northern Ireland, all 3 and 4-year-olds are entitled to up to 12.5 hours pre-school education per week. The scheme is available to anyone, regardless of immigration status or financial income. However, parents can only use up to 2.5 hours of this free childcare per day, 5 days a week.
Applications for Pre-School Place must be made via the Education Authority Northern Ireland. Each pre-school institution, however, can set their own admissions criteria and therefore a person must enquire with the institution about their specific criteria. See the Education Authority’s website for more information.
From September 2024 to March 2025 working parents may be able to apply for a discount to reduce the costs of childcare by 15% through the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme. To qualify, the parents must be eligible for tax free childcare, such as that they must meet the immigration requirements for tax-free childcare. Therefore, many families with NRPF will not qualify for the subsidy. The child must also be receiving childcare from a provider who is registered with HMRC as a tax free childcare provider.
For more information on childcare support schemes in Northern Ireland see the government website Family Support Northern Ireland.
Working parents in Northern Ireland may be eligible for tax-free childcare. Read more about tax free childcare
