the government's decision to reinstate the 28-day move-on period is shameful and senseless

After being granted refugee status, people who have been waiting, sometimes, many years for a decision on their asylum claim look forward to being able to finally seek work, find somewhere to live and generally move on with their lives. For many people waiting for their case to be processed will have included an extended period of time in asylum support accommodation, often living in temporary hotel accommodation, being unable to work, and surviving on just £9.95 per week.
Once people are granted refugee visas, their existing accommodation support is terminated as they are allowed to work and also become eligible for mainstream support. Whilst a positive moment for most people, it also involves navigating the competitive rental market, applying for jobs and mainstream support, which is time consuming, complicated and stressful. This is especially so as people are prevented from doing any of these things for the months and years spent waiting for the government to process their claims.
On 5 December 2024, the government began a pilot of increasing the new accommodation ‘move on’ period from 28 days to 56 days. This gave new refugees an additional month to find housing, work and apply for any appropriate support, before their asylum support ended. From our experience, this additional period helped prevent homelessness by giving people more time to sort out these basic necessities. Whilst 56 days was still a short period of time, this extra month was crucial in ensuring these people could find their feet before being evicted from support.
On 27 August 2025, the government without warning decided to reverse this back to the original timeframe of 28 days for single people. They have justified this by saying that it will cut costs.
This is an appalling and short-sighted decision and will certainly result in an increase in homelessness and destitution among new refugees. 28 days is not enough time to find a job, save a deposit and find somewhere to live. Local authorities will bear the brunt of this decision, as it will inevitably lead to an increased number of people becoming street homeless as they are unable to find somewhere to live in the 28-day window they are given. This was exactly what happened in late 2023 and early 2024 when the then Conservative government started processing long delayed asylum claims en masse with no plans for what would happen next.
Contrary to popular belief, unless individuals have children or a disability, the local authority has no duty to, and will not house those who become homeless after being evicted. The expectation is that they make their own arrangements, which has never been possible in just 28 days. Street homelessness is therefore inevitable. These people will therefore usually end up engaging with local homeless charities as their only lifeline, placing greater pressure on these organisations to provide support. Street homelessness makes people vulnerable, something which is already accepted by the government themselves. These people are more at risk of assault, theft and mental health decline. The government voluntarily placing large numbers of people in this position is shameful and utterly senseless.
The government will have already recognised the affected people as having fled persecution, meaning that they are vulnerable and may have experienced severe mistreatment, war or even torture in their country of origin. It is essential for these individuals that they receive appropriate support if they are to move on with their lives, and this decision directly undermines the chances of them swiftly starting to rebuild their lives in their new country. No one benefits from this and it massively undermines social cohesion at a time of already inflamed and heightened tensions.
Whilst we understand that this government is trying to reduce hotel use, this is certainly not the way to do it. This is an illogical and cruel decision, which will undoubtably lead to more negative outcomes for new refugees who want to integrate into the UK and move on with their lives. We therefore urge the government to reverse this decision immediately and permanently instate a 56-day move-on period for all newly recognised refugees.

​Erica Wilson is the Refugee and Asylum Manager at RAMFEL