Last year, the Labour government ran a pilot increasing the 28-day period for people granted asylum to 56 days, but this ended early, in September, when it reverted back to 28 days.
In 2023, for some refugees, that period shrunk to seven days after the government briefly changed how the move-on period was calculated. The policy was reversed, with the British Red Cross saying it had led to “devastating levels of destitution”.
The 56 day move-on period pilot was, however, extended for those deemed vulnerable – including pregnant women, families with children and disabled people. It was due to end in January 2026, but is understood to still be in place.
It comes as the latest Home Office figures suggest 110,000 people claimed asylum in the year ending September 2025 – a 13% increase on the previous year.
As of September last year, there were 108,085 people in asylum accommodation, with more than 36,000 in hotels and the majority in shared housing, such as HMOs. Asylum accommodation contracts have cost the government billions of pounds.
The government has pledged to clear the backlog of asylum seekers waiting for their claim to be decided, to close “every asylum hotel” and cut asylum costs, adding that “more suitable” sites were being brought forward to “ease pressure on communities”.
But Jacqui Broadhead, director of the Global Exchange on Migration and Diversity at the University of Oxford, said a “long-term reimagining” of asylum policies may be required.
She suggested one solution was to invest in more temporary accommodation instead of paying private providers to oversee asylum accommodation sites such as hotels. After initially being used to help the asylum backlog, she said it could aid the housing shortage more generally.
She highlighted the importance of co-ordination between local authorities and the Home Office, adding that increased and faster decision-making on asylum claims can “put very high levels of pressure” on housing services that are already “extremely stretched”.