Question about pets on HRT questionnaire

Just came across a question about pets when I completed HRT questionnaire with a client.
DWP actually asks about the arrangements the claimants made for their pets before coming to the UK, and I was a bit surprised about that. My client has been in the UK for over 11 years,  so it did not really matter to her. But I wonder whether they could really find someone not having established HR if they failed to euthanize their hamster before coming to the UK, or make arrangements to bring the pet over here (do you still need quarantine?)

It seems like a reasonable question - if you have pets in the UK, that is evidence of your connection to the country. If you have pets in another country, that is evidence that you may not intend to stay here. People don’t normally go on holiday with their cats and similarly, people normally don’t have their cats re-homed just because they are going on holiday.

I am reminded of the Theresa May deportation cat incident (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15160326). The root of that was a case where one of the factors indicating the putative deportee’s genuine connection and family life in the country was that he had a pet here. The same logic would apply to HRT.

Elliot Kent - 13 April 2016 04:36 PM

It seems like a reasonable question - if you have pets in the UK, that is evidence of your connection to the country. If you have pets in another country, that is evidence that you may not intend to stay here. People don’t normally go on holiday with their cats and similarly, people normally don’t have their cats re-homed just because they are going on holiday.

I am reminded of the Theresa May deportation cat incident (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15160326). The root of that was a case where one of the factors indicating the putative deportee’s genuine connection and family life in the country was that he had a pet here. The same logic would apply to HRT.

You haven’t been watching those animal rescue programmes on the telly box.