Home Office extends 56-day refugee move-on period – but it doesn’t go far enough, campaigners say

The trial 56-day ‘move-on’ period for newly-recognised refugees to find somewhere to live has been extended, the government has confirmed.

Once refugees are granted protection by the UK, they are given a set period of time to leave government-provided accommodation. The day this protection is granted also marks the first time they can work or claim benefits.

The move-on period was previously 28 days, the shortness of which was found to be pushing refugees into homelessness and increasing pressure on frontline services. The move-on period was extended by the Home Office in December as a “time limited trial” as work was done to clear the asylum backlog and manage the rollout of visas.

The trial was set to expire at the end of June but this week asylum minister Angela Eagle confirmed it had been extended in the House of Commons this week. But campaigners say the trial extension doesn’t go far enough and the 56-day move-on period should be made permanent.

“We know that the shorter 28-day period was a significant cause of homelessness – and increased pressure on homelessness services. We now call on the government to confirm this as permanent arrangement as soon as possible,” Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, told Big Issue.

“This must be accompanied by wider improvements to the move-on process so people are supported to successfully transition from the asylum system into their community, preventing homelessness in the longer term.”

In 2023, the Conservative government temporarily reduced the move-on period to seven days in a bid to clear the asylum backlog. However this led to a wave of refugee homelessness, with councils having to deal with three times the numbers of homeless refugees in the wake of the change.

The Labour government has promised to “end asylum hotels by 2029”, yet the number of asylum seekers in hotels remains above pre-election levels at 32,000 – although far below the 2023 peak. David Bolt, the chief inspector of borders and immigration, said in June he “frankly” did not think the 2029 target would be met.

While the extended extension was welcomed, it was described as the bare minimum by Glasgow councillor Allan Casey.

“This minor extension is the very least that Home Office could do,” said Casey, the city convener for workforce, homelessness and addiction services. “They should make it permanent, and they should provide funding directly to alleviate the pressures Glasgow faces because of their decision making.”

Bridget Young, chief executive of NACCOM, a network of asylum accommodation providers, said the extension should apply to everyone leaving the asylum system, to help prevent the flow of people into homelessness.

“Evidence from NACCOM’s frontline members indicates that the 56-day move-on has been a lifeline for new refugees, and had a positive impact for the service providers supporting people through it,” said Young. “While it is just one important step towards addressing migrant homelessness, in this extension there is a valuable opportunity to make the case for a permanent extension to 56 days.”

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