Applying for NI no. within first three months

[Ben]

Hi folks,

Does anybody know what the situation is with regards applying for a national insurance number, for the purpose of applying for benefits, within the initial, unconditional three months of residence?

I'm a UK national. The applicant will be my wife, a Singapore national. We have been resident in Ireland for 7 years and intend to reside in the UK under Singh / Eind.

We will both be mature students, returning to education in the UK having been made redundant from our employment in Ireland.

An application for a residence card in the UK will be made at some stage, but certainly in the first instance my wife will not have any Home Office document stating her residence situation in the UK. What's likely to happen when applying for an NI number / benefits at Jobcentre Plus?