Overview

• The change reverts the window from 56 days to 28 days for newly recognised refugees to leave asylum accommodation, with 56-day exemptions for pregnant people, disabled people and those aged 65 and over.
• Charities including the British Red Cross warn the shorter timeframe will drive homelessness and rough sleeping, noting Universal Credit typically takes around 35 days to arrive and councils work to a 56-day prevention duty.
• Frontline groups say a 56-day pilot introduced in December 2024 markedly reduced street homelessness among new refugees.
• Government data shows more than 32,000 asylum seekers were in hotels in June 2025; a spokesperson says decision-making has doubled and hotel use fell by about 6,000 in the first half of the year.
• The Refugee Council proposes a one-off, time-limited leave for people from high grant-rate countries to close hotel use by March 2026, arguing it would cut costs and tensions faster than the 2029 target.