Child benefit and Skilled Migrant Programme

[Preston]

A friend of mine came over here with her husband from Nigeria and they have twins who were born in the UK. They are now separated and he has returned home but she and her kids are still here. I think she is on 'Tier 2' (although I am not an expert in the HSMP myself so that might be incorrect). At the moment she is struggling to afford nursery fees as her husband has refused to pay anything towards they upkeep.
I have seen various messages about child benefits being different to claiming public funds and I was wondering if anyone could clarify it for me so I could perhaps help her out. Is she as someone here on a Highly Skilled Migrant Programme and having had her children here, entitled to any financial support for the children? If so, what help is she entitled to? The children are only 18 months old and are currently at nursery.
Many thanks for any help or advice you can give as I am desperate to give her some good news.

[John]

Sorry I have only just spotted this. No, as a person from Nigeria on a Tier 2 visa, there is no ability to claim Public Funds.

Not unless, that is, she worked in another country before coming to the UK, and that country has a reciprocal Social Security agreement with the UK, and that agreement permits certain claims.

[Wanderer]

We should also ask who was the Tier 2 holder and who was the dependent? If the husband was the Tier 2 holder then the dependents should have left the UK at the same time.

I know it's likely the mother here is the Tier 2 holder but we need to know for sure!

[Preston]

Thanks for the replies. The mum is the tier two.