Asylum Seekers and refugees in London

This page discusses the distinction between asylum seekers and refugees, outlines the challenges asylum seekers face in obtaining accommodation and support and provides insights into the situation in London.

It also highlights how we, in partnership with London boroughs, have been engaging with central government and private partners to address the growing number of people awaiting a decision on their asylum application.

An asylum seeker is someone who has applied for asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention on the Status of Refugees on the grounds that they have a well-founded fear of persecution if they return to their home country.

A refugee is an asylum seeker whose claim has been successful

Most asylum seekers are unable to pay for their own housing. They are also unable to claim benefits and they are not allowed to work. 

Asylum seekers can claim financial support and accommodation under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 if they are destitute or likely to become destitute. 

Initially they will be in initial accommodation, which is typically similar to a hostel, before being moved into dispersed accommodation provided by the Home Office. Under this scheme, asylum seekers are not able to choose where they live.

On June 30 2021 8,375 asylum seekers were in receipt of section 95 support in London, and the numbers have since increased. Asylum accommodation is provided by the Home Office.

London has historically had relatively low numbers of asylum seekers in dispersed accommodation. This is no longer the case and since 2015 the number of people in dispersed accommodation has increased from a low of 771 in 2015, to 4397 in 2019.

Dispersal accommodation is especially concentrated in Barking and Dagenham (734), Redbridge (640), Newham (582), Hillingdon (456), and Ealing (386). As for the rest of the UK, at the end of 2020 there were 132,349 refugees, 77,245 pending asylum cases and 4,662 stateless people in the UK. 

In June 2021, the UK received 31,115 asylum applicants. The most common countries of origin were:

  • Iran
  • Albania
  • Eritrea
  • Sudan
  • Iraq

Local authorities support asylum seekers in several ways, from carrying out property inspections to providing adult social care. The most substantial form of support is helping an asylum seeker move on from dispersed accommodation.

Once an asylum seeker receives a decision on their asylum application, they have 28 days to leave their dispersed accommodation. This leaves little time to find a place to live, obtain a National Insurance number, find work, or claim any benefits they are entitled to. 

Typically, refugees cannot afford a deposit to rent a flat or room. London Boroughs play a significant role in preventing homelessness amongst newly recognised refugees, and financially supporting them to attain a tenancy.

Recently, significant backlogs in asylum applications mean that asylum seekers are often placed into hotels whilst they await dispersed accommodation. The Home Office have been using asylum hotels in London since 2019, but numbers have risen substantially and disproportionately in London since June 2020. 

London boroughs have played a key role in filling gaps in support for the asylum seekers in hotels. This includes from public health support, to funding the voluntary and community sector to provide food support.

In 2019, the Home Office assigned private company Clearsprings to manage dispersed accommodation and support to people seeking asylum.

The London Asylum Procurement Framework was agreed in November 2020 between all London boroughs, the Home Office, Clearsprings, London Councils and the Greater London Authority (GLA). Through this framework, Clearsprings and the Home Office agreed to ensure the following key principles:

  • Dispersed accommodation is distributed across London in an equitable way, not concentrated in specific boroughs.
  • Property is procured so that it will not cause significant rises in local rents.
  • Only properties that meet all minimum quality standards required by the host borough will be procured.
  • Procurement will not undermine borough efforts to tackle rogue landlords.
  • Central and local government will share data in an effective way.
  • There will be meaningful consultation with boroughs in advance of any procurement.

An Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) contract was awarded to Migrant Help in 2019. They aid people seeking asylum in the following ways:

  • Advice and guidance on the legal rights of people seeking asylum in the UK.
  • A single point of contact independent from the Home Office and Clearsprings.
  • A place to report issues with dispersed accommodation.
  • An online hub for asylum seekers to access their records and complete applications.
  • Face to face outreach support for vulnerable service users.
  • More intensive move-on support after asylum seekers get a decision on their application.

London Councils has been engaging extensively with the Home Office and Clearsprings to ensure improvements are made to policy and practice of procuring properties and supporting asylum seekers