Support for asylum seekers

Asylum seekers in the UK cannot claim mainstream welfare benefits or generally work while their claim is being processed. If destitute, they receive some basic financial support for asylum seekers provided whilst they wait to see if their application for asylum has been granted. This is referred to as Section 95 support^[1]. This is for applicants and their dependents who have an ongoing asylum claim. Applicants are eligible if they appear to be destitute or likely to became destitute within 14 days. Destitute in this context mean either they do not have adequate accommodation or any means of obtaining it or the means of obtaining it but cannot meet other essential living needs. This description will apply to almost all asylum seekers arriving via irregular routes to the UK.

The Home Office generally allocates asylum accommodation on a no-choice basis. It is still supposed to consider the individual circumstances of each applicant, including their needs and family ties ^[2]. In exceptional circumstances, requests for accommodation in a particular located can be granted: for example, applicants may be placed in London when they are receiving treatment in the London offices of Freedom from Torture (Help provide specialist therapy for LGBTQ+ survivors, empowering them to heal and live with dignity),^[3]or the Helen Bamber Foundation (who ‘give survivors of trafficking and torture the strength to move on’^[4]).

The application for support can be for living expenses and accommodation or for living expenses only

In terms of accommodation, if asylum seekers have private accommodation available with either family or friends, they can only apply for living expenses. Asylum seekers applying for accommodation and subsistence must accept an offer of accommodation in a “dispersal’ area which will usually be outside London and the South East. This may mean that asylum seekers are often housed far away from families and friends in the UK who do not have enough space to offer accommodation^[5]. The accommodation offered could be in a flat, house, Ministry of Defence barracks, hotels, hostels or bed and breakfast.

Asylum seekers will be paid £49.18 each per person in the household. This is expected to pay for food, clothing and toiletries. This allowance is loaded on to a debit card (ASPEN card)^[6]. This allowance was last reviewed in November 2023. Since that time inflation has increased by 9.2% in the UK according to the Office for National Statistics greatly disadvantaging (in economic terms) recipients of this support. However, if the accommodation provided for the asylum seeker provides meals the weekly amount is reduced to £9.95 for each person in the household.

Extra money is available for mothers of a child aged 3 years and pregnant mothers. This is to buy healthy food. Pregnant mothers receive an extra £5.25 per week: for mothers of babies under 1 year old the payment is £9.50 per week and for children aged 1-3 the payment is £5.25 per week ^[7]

Pregnant women can apply for a one-off maternity payment if their baby is due in 11 weeks or less, or if the baby is under 6 months old.

Government-funded early education and childcare is not classed as a ‘public fund’ for immigration purposes. This means it can be accessed by a child regardless of their immigration status. However, some schemes include eligibility criteria related to the immigration status of parents and may not be available to all families.

The following schemes are available to families regardless of immigration status:

• A 2-year-old may be entitled to 15 hours a week of free childcare if their family receives Home Office asylum support
• All children in England aged 3 and 4 are entitled to 15 hours per week of free childcare or early education. This support is not restricted by immigration status and can be accessed regardless of the child’s or their parent’s status, including where a parent is subject to the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) condition^[8].

It is clear that one of the well-documented outcomes of the government’s hostile environment policies is that people with insecure immigration status are scared to seek out support they are entitled to. Because of the fear of being detained or even deported, many may not access healthcare and other support when it’s perfectly legal to do so.^[9]

According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation a typical working-age adult needs roughly £305 per week after housing costs and local taxes just to maintain a minimum acceptable standard of living^[10]. The £49.18 per week provided to asylum seekers compares pitifully with this figure.

Asylum seekers are entitled to free NHS healthcare such as to see a doctor or get hospital treatment. Asylum seekers will also receive free prescriptions for medicine, free dental care, free eyesight tests and help in paying for glasses.

All children who are seeking asylum from the age of 5 to 17 years must attend a state school and they may be entitled to free school meals

However, since the 2nd of June 2026, the regulations around asylum support was revoked and the home Office will no longer have a statutory duty to provide asylum support. Instead, there will be a discretionary power to provide support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.The grounds for discontinuing asylum support are:

• intentionally becoming destitute,
• abandoning accommodation and
• committing immigration -related offences.
• The updated regulation adds illegal working to the circumstances that can trigger suspension or discontinuation of asylum support.

The implications of these new regulations are stark. If an asylum seeker works because the level of support is not enough to live on, they risk losing their accommodation and financial support altogether including support for their dependents. And even if withdrawing that supports leads to destitution, which it almost certainly will, the Home Office now has a discretion, rather than a duty to step in.

However, it is worth noting that the Home Office cannot take steps that expose a person to a real risk of treatment contrary to article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights which ‘prohibits torture and inhumane or degrading treatment’. It is well established that leaving an asylum seeker without food, shelter or the basic necessities of life can reach the article 3 threshold^[11]. This will clearly need to be tested in the courts, but it does not sit comfortably with the values of our country.

When does support end?

Support under section 95 ends when the asylum or article 3 claim is determined whether successfully or unsuccessfully.

If the applicant is granted asylum or leave, support continues for a 42- day grace period. If the claim is initially refused, support continues if an appeal is submitted. But once all appeals are exhausted, or the asylum claim declared inadmissible, support will stop after 21 days from the date of refusal. Two days are added if notice is sent by post.

When a decision is made to discontinue support to families with children, it must be consistent with the Home Office’s obligation to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

Failed asylum seekers and their dependents who have exhausted their appeal rights but remain in the UK and currently cannot leave may be able to get section 4 support. They must satisfy five conditions:

• They are taking all reasonable steps to leave the UK or facilitate their departure
• They are unable to leave the UK due to a physical impediment to travel or some other medical reason;
• there is no viable route of return to their country of origin;
• they have been granted permission to proceed with an application for judicial review of the decision on their asylum claim;
• providing support is necessary to avoid breaching their human rights.

The applicant must prove they meet these conditions on the balance of probabilities.

Life for Asylum seekers in the United Kingdom

Where are Asylum seekers Housed?

Under the UN refugee convention, Britain has a legal obligation to house people while they are waiting for a decision on their claim to refugee status. The Home Office is responsible for housing them and has contracts with private companies to meet their responsibilities.^[12] Prior to 2019, asylum seekers would spend a few weeks in ‘initial accommodation’, hostel style full- board accommodation. After a few weeks they would be moved into ‘dispersal accommodation’, housing across the country, with no choice in location. As need increased, the Home Office started to use ‘contingency accommodation’ hotels and ex-military barracks.^{[13] [14] [15] [16] [17]}

What is life like in hotels?

Living in a hotel might suggest positive images of chilled relaxing time, in a well-maintained building with comfortable rooms, all mod cons, restaurants, room service and helpful staff. Numerous independent reports ^[18],have shown the experiences of asylum seekers in hotels to be vastly different from this idyll.

• Rooms are often overcrowded, dirty and vermin ridden. Mould is a frequent issue, and asylum seekers are excluded from ‘Awaab’s Law’ designed to protect people, mainly children, from – potentially fatal – damp and mould.
• Carpets in the rooms are often dirty and smelly which is particularly problematic for parents with small crawling children. Rooms smell of sewage and beds have worn-out mattresses.
• There are inadequate laundry facilities, forcing many families to dry wet clothes in their bedrooms.
• Many have reported the general areas in hotels are not cleaned frequently, with no clear instructions on where to place nappies and sanitary towels in different languages.
• There is limited privacy, children are often forced to stay in their bedrooms and digital poverty and limited internet access, affects children’s access to education and others’ ability to communicate with families who are usually living far away.
• Forced room-sharing can be very harmful to survivors of torture and trafficking, many of whom have significant mental health difficulties exacerbated by having no privacy and feeling unsafe. It also increases the safeguarding risk of those sharing.
• The food provided in these hotels is often of poor nutritional value and there is a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables. Food is served at strictly regulated times, regardless of any religious fasting requirements, and often served in plastic containers containing food to be eaten in their bedrooms.
• There are no cooking facilities and even if there were, there is no money to buy alternative food.

Overall, living in such hotel accommodation has been shown to detrimentally affect people’s health and well-being and damaging to children’s health and education opportunities. Such hotels can also become the focus of violent far-right protests - for example at The Bell Hotel in Epping, London, Brook Hotel in Norwich and Four Points Hotel at Gatwick Airport.

When a hotel closes, asylum seekers are moved – often at short notice – to houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs), former military barracks or other, usually more basic, hotels. People may have been living in the same hotel for years, and the new accommodation may be several hundred miles away, forcing people to re-build their lives – language classes, legal support, friendships – from scratch.^[19]

The media often stigmatises asylum hotels, but behind closed doors are people who dream of work, wheels, security and the simple freedom to choose what they eat.

How does living in a hotel differ from living in dispersal accommodation?

Overall, living in dispersal accommodation is more preferable for asylum seekers than living in hotels as it provides for more domestic privacy, access to kitchen facilities and a weekly food allowance as well as the possibility of staying in one location while their asylum claim is being processed.

How have numbers of Asylum seekers housed in hotels changed over the last four years?

There were 16,021 asylum seekers housed in 160 hotels at the end of June, down from 32,041 at the same point last year and a peak of 56,018 in September 2023.

The latest figures show 69,038 were housed in temporary accommodation. ^[20]e

What is life like in military barracks?

Within former military barracks and similar sites, conditions for asylum seekers are reported to be at least as challenging as living in hotels.^[21]

• Barracks offer cramped living spaces, with asylum seekers often sleeping in large communal dormitories or rooms with multiple beds, leading to the same adverse impacts described under hotels above
• There is shared use of a very limited number of communal toilets, showers and basic dining facilities
• High levels of security are present with active CCTV surveillance and strict signing in/out procedures
• The location of these sites, often miles away from the nearest town, isolate people from local communities and essential services

Efforts to replace hotels with these large alternative sites have backfired financially: a National Audit Office investigation found the government’s new “large sites” were estimated to cost £46 million more than continuing to use hotels, despite initial hopes they’d be cheaper.^[22]

What happens when the Asylum Seeker is granted refugee status?

If the Home Office accepts an asylum claim, the individual is granted leave to remain, most commonly Refugee Status, which is valid for 5 years. Refugee status entitles them to all mainstream services and public funds, including benefits and social housing.Those receiving asylum support will receive notice from Migrant Help that their asylum support will end in 56 days (temporarily increased from 28 days). This means they will be evicted and their financial support will stop.^[23]

Refugees without a valid passport or national ID, must set up an eVisa as their main form of photographic ID. Many refugees encounter issues with their eVisas, but without it they will struggle to access all services, including a bank account.^[24]

Refugees can apply for Universal Credit. A claim for Universal Credit tends to take 5 weeks from application for the first payment, 35 days. If they are not receiving Universal Credit before the Asylum Support ends, they will not have any income to survive. To claim they require an eVisa, Home Office grant letter, National Insurance number, children’s birth certificates (if applicable) and other supporting documents. During this period, it can be assessed whether the refugee is eligible for any other benefits.^[25]

Entitlement to housing differs depending on the Local Authority in which an applicant lives when their refugee status is granted. If facing homelessness, refugees must contact the local housing team and/or charities supporting refugees. Refugees receiving asylum support will not have savings for private rentals and will usually depend on homelessness provision, supported accommodation (for which they will need their eVisa and proof they have applied for benefits) or Houses in Multiple Occupation.

Recognised refugees have unrestricted access to the UK jobs market. However, there are many barriers to gaining employment including:

• language barriers;
• employment gaps on CVs due to the lengthy process of seeking asylum;
• holding qualifications that the UK does not recognise;
• lack of understanding of the UK job market; and
• cultural differences.

As a result of these challenges, many refugees must take work that does not reflect their skills and qualifications, resulting in lower pay.^[26] Many are left with no option but to work in cash-only jobs, which inevitably leads to their exploitation at the hands of unscrupulous employers.

Given half a chance, the people in this hotel have a lot to offer, and will become care workers, academics, drivers, shopkeepers – like anyone else, except that they once escaped from danger, as people have throughout history. “This is not invading a country – this is finding a safe place for their lives. It’s a different thing,” says Muhammad^[27].

Mary Golden & Catherine Moss. 14th September 2026

Sources and references

1. Section 95 of the immigration and Asylum Act 1999 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
2. Free Movement. March 2026. Asylum support: what is available and what has changed Accessed 16/06/26 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
3. Freedom from Torture. March 2026. Queer is not a crime, torture is. Accessed 16 June 2026. View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
4. Helen Bamber Foundation. March 2026. We are the Helen Bamber Foundation. accessed 16th June 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
5. Refugee Council. June 2022. Asylum support. Accessed 15/06/26 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
6. Gov.UK. 2026. Asylum support, an overview. Accessed 15/06/26 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
7. Gov.UK. 2026. Asylum support, an overview. Accessed 15/06/26 Free Movement . March 2026. Asylum support: what is available and what has changed Accessed 16/06/26 View source 1 (opens in a new tab); View source 2 (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
8. NRPF Network. Early education and childcare: information about who can get early education and childcare. 12th June 2026. Accessed 17th June 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
9. Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit. Childcare support for families subject to immigration control. January 2021. Accessed 17th June 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
10. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. September 2025 . A Minimum Income Standard for the United Kingdom in 2025. Accessed 17th June 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
11. Free Movement. March 2026. Asylum support: what is available and what has changed Accessed 16/06/26 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
12. The Conversation and Durham University. June 2025.How the UK became dependent on asylum hotels. Accessed 30 August 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
13. Helen Bamber Foundation and Asylum Aid. June 2024. Suffering and squalor: the impact on mental health of living in hotel asylum accommodation. Accessed 1st September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
14. British Red Cross. Undated. Asylum seekers: are they living on easy street?. Accessed 2nd September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
15. Migration Observatory. Asylum Accommodation in the UK. May 2026. Accessed 1st September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
16. The Guardian. A day in the life of an asylum hotel: inside the Uks most controversial accommodation. 18th May 2025. Accessed 2nd September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
17. Refugee Action. Hostile Accommodation: How the asylum system is cruel by design. March 2023. Accessed 1st September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
18. Helen Bamber Foundation and Asylum Aid. June 2024. Suffering and squalor: the impact on mental health of living in hotel asylum accommodation. Accessed 1st September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
19. The Guardian. 13th August 2026. What happens after asylum hotels close? Accessed 4th September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
20. The Guardian. 27th August 2026. The number of asylum seekers living in hotels across UK halves in a year . Accessed 4th September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
21. The Guardian. A day in the life of an asylum hotel: inside the Uks most controversial accommodation. 18th May 2025. Accessed 2nd September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
22. Refugee Action. Hostile Accommodation: How the asylum system is cruel by design. March 2023. Accessed 1st September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
23. RMC. The move on journey. Undated . Accessed 4th September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
24. British Red Cross. Undated. Asylum seekers: are they living on easy street?. September. 2024 Accessed 1st September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
25. British Red Cross. Asylum seekers: are they living on easy street? View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
26. Dentons, CIPD Trust. Beeby, S. Recruiting, supporting and retaining refugees. 4th March 2025 Accessed 4th September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text
27. The Guardian. A day in the life of an asylum hotel: inside the Uks most controversial accommodation. 18th May 2025. Accessed 2nd September 2026 View source (opens in a new tab) ↩ Back to text