Refugees Facing Street Homelessness Can Apply to Extend Asylum Accommodation Until 16 January 2026
Refugees who are at imminent risk of street homelessness now have the opportunity to extend their asylum accommodation and subsistence support beyond the standard 28-day period, following an interim agreement reached with the Home Office. Eligible individuals may apply for an extension of up to 56 days, and this arrangement will remain in place until 16 January 2026.
This development follows legal action aimed at preventing newly recognised refugees from being evicted into homelessness at the end of their asylum support period.
Background: The Move-On Period Explained
Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are entitled to asylum accommodation and financial support while their claim is under consideration. Once an individual is granted refugee status or other leave to remain, that asylum support comes to an end.
At that point, the individual enters the “move-on period”—the notice period during which they must leave asylum accommodation and transition to mainstream housing and benefits. Historically, this period has been 28 days.
However, extensive evidence over many years has demonstrated that 28 days is often insufficient for newly recognised refugees to secure accommodation, access benefits, and establish income. This gap between the end of asylum support and access to mainstream systems is commonly referred to as the “destitution gap”, during which many refugees become homeless through no fault of their own.
Evidence of Systemic Problems
Numerous authoritative organisations have documented the shortcomings of the 28-day move-on period. For example:
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Research has shown that delays in accessing Universal Credit, which cannot be paid until at least 35 days after an application, routinely leave refugees without income.
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Local authorities are subject to a 56-day homelessness relief duty, creating a structural mismatch between housing law and asylum policy.
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Charities and frontline organisations have consistently reported high levels of homelessness and hardship among newly recognised refugees during the move-on period.
These findings have highlighted the pressure placed not only on refugees, but also on local authorities and voluntary sector services tasked with preventing homelessness.
The 56-Day Pilot Scheme
In response to these concerns, the Home Office introduced a pilot scheme on 5 December 2024, extending the move-on period for all newly recognised refugees from 28 to 56 days. The pilot was intended to run alongside an independent evaluation, with the aim of informing future policy.
The scheme was widely welcomed by refugee organisations, homelessness charities, and local authorities as a practical step towards reducing homelessness. It was initially expected to run until June 2025 and was later extended until December 2025.
The Pause of the Pilot
Despite this, the pilot was paused on 26 August 2025, with just six days’ notice and before the independent evaluation had been completed. The pause followed a period of heightened political and public focus on the use of hotels for asylum accommodation, including high-profile protests in parts of the country.
As a result of the pause, the default 28-day move-on period was reinstated, with exemptions applying only to limited groups:
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Pregnant individuals
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People aged 65 or over
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Individuals with a known or evidenced disability
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Families
The decision prompted widespread concern. Over 60 organisations, coordinated by NACCOM, wrote to the Home Office warning that the pause would significantly increase homelessness, place further strain on local authorities and charities, and undermine wider commitments to ending homelessness.
Local authorities echoed these concerns. For example, Islington Council warned that reverting to a 28-day period would result in increased homelessness, higher temporary accommodation costs, and reduced integration outcomes, at a time of heightened social tension.
Legal Challenges and Interim Relief
In response to the reinstatement of the 28-day period, legal challenges were brought on behalf of refugees who faced imminent destitution despite making every reasonable effort to secure housing and benefits.
Judicial review proceedings were issued for six individual claimants. In each case, the Administrative Court granted urgent interim relief, preventing eviction into street homelessness. In several instances, relief was granted under extreme time pressure, sometimes within hours of applications being filed.
In the sixth case, an application was made for general (or “generic”) interim relief on behalf of all newly recognised refugees affected by the pause. On 9 December 2025, Chamberlain J granted interim relief and listed the application for further hearing.
Shortly before that hearing, the Home Office agreed to an interim solution.
Current Position: Extensions Available Until 16 January 2026
The Home Office has now confirmed that any newly recognised refugee who would otherwise face street homelessness can request an extension of their asylum accommodation and subsistence support.
Key points:
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Extensions can be granted for up to 56 days from the date leave to remain was granted.
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This arrangement applies until 16 January 2026.
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It is estimated that around 3,000 individuals who would otherwise have been evicted during this period will benefit.
The broader legal challenge to the policy change is ongoing.
What This Means in Practice
All newly recognised refugees whose asylum support is due to end can apply for an extension if they are at risk of street homelessness.
Requests may be submitted by:
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The individual themselves
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A local authority
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A support organisation acting on the individual’s behalf (with a signed letter of authority where required)
A clear written explanation setting out why the individual would otherwise become street homeless will generally be sufficient.
Requests should be sent to:
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Migrant Help
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Home Office Reinstatements Team