The reception centres are designed for short term support, almost all residents will move to ‘dispersal accommodation’ in self-contained houses or apartments. This is known as ‘Section 95’ support (see Reception Conditions: Criteria and Restrictions).
On receipt of a decision to grant asylum or leave that would entitle the individual to work, apply for state welfare benefits and rent, buy or take on a public housing tenancy, under law asylum support can be stopped 28 days after the decision.[1] This is often termed the ‘move on period’. People must be given a minimum of seven days’ notice that they are being evicted from their asylum accommodation.[2] In practice, as it was not possible to claim public funds without the biometric residence card that is issued as evidence of refugee status, the Home Office would only stop support 28 days or longer following receipt of the biometric residence permit.
The termination of support after 28 days is made regardless of whether or not any alternative source of income and accommodation has been secured. Recent issues with this process have been detailed in Forms and levels of material reception conditions. In practice, few refugees find alternative accommodation within this time. The main obstacles they face are the processing times for welfare benefits, the lack of a bank account or online credit history. Public housing is restricted to those with children or who are considered a priority because of ill health or disability and those whose illness is mental rather than physical face particular difficulties. The latter category often finds difficulty persuading the authorities to provide them with public housing. Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit has written a guide to making and pursuing these applications[3]
This is in stark contrast to those who arrive in the UK as refugees under resettlement programmes. Although individuals will have to open a bank account, sign a tenancy for housing and make a claim for welfare benefits on arrival, support is usually available to assist with this. Local authorities are provided with government funding which covers people who arrive in the UK via the UK Resettlement Scheme. The funding is for the recipient to arrange furnished accommodation for the refugees, ensure that the refugees are registered with utility companies, to collect the refugees from the airport and take them to the accommodation, provide a welcome pack of groceries and an initial cash allowance of £200 (€ 228).
Refugees are also to be provided with help in accessing welfare benefits and their eVisa, as well as registering with a GP and schools. A bespoke framework for support will be put in place for the first twelve months. Interpreting costs are also to be made available under the funding agreement. English language ability is assessed and language training provided as needed. After the first year, additional support can be provided for up to five years from arrival. The amount of funding available is £5,000 (€ 5,712) in year two, £3,700 (€ 4,227) in year three, £2,300 (€ 2,627) in year four and £1,000 (€ 1142) in year five. Some funding is also available to refugees arriving via the Community Sponsorship Scheme where sponsors are unable to meet their obligations.[4]
The British Red Cross produced a cost benefit analysis of the 28 day ‘move-on’ period in February 2020, arguing that the UK government could save significant amounts of money including the cost of temporary accommodation, if the 28 days was doubled to 56.[5]
Despite a wealth of evidence, the issue continues to affect many new refugees and other beneficiaries of leave, resulting in homelessness and destitution.[6] The reasons for this are outlined in the research; it is acknowledged that many refugees may not be aware that claims for welfare benefits usually take weeks to process and may not apply as soon as they are eligible. Additional barriers exist for refugees who have not opened a bank account, they then face additional delays in welfare benefits payments which are usually made directly into a claimant’s bank account.
In August 2023 the Home Office made a change in practice that was not publicly announced. They started counting the 28 days from the date of the decision instead of from receipt of the biometric residence permit. As in many cases the permit would take longer than 28 days to arrive, this meant that many refugees were made street homeless shortly after receiving their grant of refugee leave.[7] This change resulted in a 223% increase in people sleeping rough after leaving asylum housing.[8] The change was later reversed, again no public announcement was made. The period July to September 2024 showed huge decreases in people being put at risk of homelessness because of being required to leave asylum accommodation, compared with the same period the previous year.[9] The period July to September 2025 showed another huge increase in need for this group, as 1,690 households were owed a homelessness prevention duty because they had to leave asylum accommodation.[10]
Towards the end of 2023 an internal change was made at the Department for Work and Pensions which allowed newly recognised refugees to claim public funds before receiving their biometric residence permit.[11]
In November 2024 a pilot scheme was announced to temporarily extend the move on period to 56 days starting on 9 December 2024 and due to end in June 2025. On 7 July 2025 it was announced that the pilot would be extended until the end of year.[12] However, on 27 August 2025 it was announced that from 1 September 2025 the pilot would be limited to families, people over 65 and those with disabilities. Everyone else would revert to the previous move on period of 28 days.[13] Concerns were raised by NGOs that the change would increase refugee homelessness.[14] Several affected refugees brought legal challenges and in December 2025 the Home Secretary agreed that where a person subject to the 28 day move on period was at imminent risk of street homelessness then they would be granted an extension to 56 days.[15] This agreement was initially put in place until 16 January 2026, this was later extended.
On 9 March 2026 the Home Office ended the pilot and extended the move-on period to 42 days from the date the grant letter is issued.[16] An evaluation of the pilot will be carried out. Following the change, Refugee Council published a report reiterating the call for the period to be extended to 56 days.[17]
Unless eligible for public housing, refugees’ access to the private rental sector is impeded in practice because of the lack of funds; a refugee will not have been eligible for asylum support payments if they have savings but will need a lump sum in order to pay a deposit. The National Residential Landlords Association is running a three year pilot aiming to help at least 135 refugee households with the initial rental deposit. Without specific schemes such as this, refugees are reliant on family, friends, refugee hosting schemes or members of their community to avoid street homelessness. The United Nations’ Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recommended “improving oversight and enforcement mechanisms to prevent exploitation and discrimination by landlords in access to housing, including for refugees”.[18]
As mentioned under Special reception needs of vulnerable people, former unaccompanied minors who turn 18 and who have leave, as a refugee or otherwise, will receive assistance from the local authority in line with British citizens in the same situation, under the Children (Leaving Care) Act[19] which will include help with accessing housing.
[1] The Asylum Support Regulations 2000, regulation 22, available here, and the Asylum Support (Amendment) Regulations 2002, available here.
[2] The Asylum Support Regulations 2000, regulation 22, available here.
[3] Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, ‘Homelessness and Rehousing Guide: For People Who Have Been Granted Refugee Status’, 16 April 2025, available here.
[4] Home Office, ‘Funding instruction for local authorities in the support of the United Kingdom’s resettlement schemes: 2024 to 2025’, 20 November 2024, available here.
[5] British Red Cross, ‘The costs of destitution’, February 2020, available here.
[6] British Red Cross, ‘The costs of destitution’, February 2020, available here.
[7] Free Movement, ‘Home Office change in practice increases risk of homelessness for recognised refugees’, 30 August 2023, available here.
[8] Centre for Homelessness Impact, ‘Critical links between resettlement in the UK and rising rates of street homelessness’ 18 January 2024, available here.
[9] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, ‘Accredited official statistics: Statutory homelessness in England: July to September 2024’, 27 February 2025, available here.
[10] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, ‘Accredited official statistics: Statutory homelessness in England: July to September 2025’, 26 February 2026, available here.
[11] Free Movement, Refugees can now claim universal credit without a biometric residence permit, 4 December 2023, available here.
[12] House of Commons debate, ‘Asylum Accommodation’, 7 July 2025, available here.
[13] House of Lords debate, ‘Refugee Accommodation: Move-on Period’, 4 September 2025, available here.
[14] NACCOM, ‘Over 60 organisations write to the Government urging them to reverse the shortening of the move-on period’, 15 September 2025, available here.
[15] Deighton Pierce Glynn, ‘Home Secretary reaches interim agreement to disapply 28 day move-on period to avert imminent street homelessness following legal challenge brought by DPG clients, 18 December 2025, available here.
[16] Home Office, ‘Ceasing section 95 support instruction’, 9 March 2026, available here.
[18] United Nations’ Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ‘Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’, 12 March 2025, available here.
[19] Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000. Devolved governments have similar provisions.