Receiving refugee status should be a cause of celebration. But for far too many new refugees, the current 28-day ‘move-on’ policy is instead forcing them into the risk of homelessness. Read on to learn more about the impact of this policy, and what the Government should do instead.
What is the ‘move-on’ period?
People waiting for a decision on their asylum claim in the UK receive limited financial support (£49.18 a week, or £8.86 for those in catered housing), and accommodation.
But once they receive a positive decision – either refugee status, or another grant of protection – they only receive this Home Office support for another 28 days.
What problems does this cause?
New refugees are left with just four weeks to find new, private accommodation (and a way to fund this).
Many won’t have any savings or money to fall back on. People seeking asylum generally aren’t allowed to work while their claims are being processed.
But 28 days is often not enough time to secure employment, or access Universal Credit. New refugees also face cultural and language barriers as they enter a challenging accommodation market, and have to navigate complex bureaucracy to access the support they’re entitled to.
What is the result?
These obstacles are forcing many new refugees into homelessness.
Data from Homeless Link found a 966% increase in rough sleeping amongst people who had left asylum support between May 2023 and December 2023.
This was partly resultant of a thankfully reversed policy change, which gave new refugees just seven days to leave their accommodation. But it’s clear that the current policy of 28 days is still far too little time to allow refugees to set themselves up independently.
What should the Government do instead?
We need the move-on period to be extended to 56 days. This would address issues with Universal Credit, which has a built-in 35 day delay before a first payment is made, and would match the limit under the Homelessness Reduction Act. Doing so would mean that being granted refugee status can again become a time of celebration, not fear, for displaced people.
If the move-on period isn’t extended, any efforts to clear the backlog will result in thousands of refugees being put at risk of homelessness.