New report says Government's 2029 deadline for closing asylum hotels is too far away and it is irresponsible to keep them open
In a brief report published today, the Refugee Council sets out how it believes the Government could end the use of hotels for accommodating asylum seekers within months rather than years.
Image credit: WikipediaYou can download the 6-page report here.
Following a number of small protests at asylum hotels that have attracted considerable media coverage, the Refugee Council notes that use of hotels create tensions in communities and are driving people to more extreme views, making it irresponsible to keep them open.
The Refugee Council says the Government's plan to end the use of hotels by 2029 is too slow. Despite an increase in Home Office asylum decisions under the current government, the number of people housed in hotels has risen by 8%, following a period when the system had "effectively ground to a halt" under the previous Conservative administration.
The report highlights: "The use of hotels is a problem the current Government inherited from its predecessor and a consequence of the failures to make decisions on claims in a fair and efficient way. The Government should acknowledge the need to end the use of hotels much faster and bring its own deadline forward by three years to March 2026."
In order to end the use of asylum hotels, the Refugee Council proposes a one-off scheme granting limited leave to remain to people from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan, and Syria who are already in the asylum system.
These countries are chosen as people from Eritrea, Sudan, and Syria have very high rates of being granted asylum at the initial decision stage, though recent political changes in Syria make future decisions less predictable. While grant rates for Afghans and Iranians have recently fallen, people from these countries still cannot easily be returned, meaning many would continue to require support in the UK.
The Refugee Council says its proposed scheme is intended to provide stability for those who are almost certain to remain in the UK, allowing the Home Office to reduce reliance on hotel accommodation.
As of the end of June 2025, nationals from the five countries made up 40% of people living in hotels. In total, 32,917 people from these countries were housed by the Home Office in asylum accommodation, slightly fewer than the number of asylum seekers in hotels.
"If all of those people were granted leave and moved on from Home Office accommodation, that could end the use of hotels," the Refugee Council recommends.
Under the Refugee Council's proposal, limited leave to remain would be granted outside the normal asylum process, without requiring a full determination of each claim. Security checks would still be carried out using information already collected by the Home Office. People granted leave would have a time-limited status, after which the Home Office could decide whether to extend it.
The scheme would be implemented gradually, allowing recipients to find stable housing and income. Funding could be redirected from hotels to support private rentals, deposit schemes, and community-based accommodation programs. The approach draws on previous UK schemes, such as the Afghan Relocation Scheme and the Home for Ukraine program
"It would enable people who will ultimately remain in the UK to be able to get on with their lives and become full and active members of their communities, finding jobs and contributing. It would allow the Home Office to end the use of hotels by the end of March 2026 while maintaining order and control over the asylum process. And it would allow the Home Office to then get on with ensuring the asylum system is able to operate in a fair, efficient and sustainable way moving forward," the Refugee Council concludes.