The Home Office has quietly ended its 56-day pilot scheme for people leaving asylum accommodation and has set a new, permanent notice period of 42 days, effective for all positive asylum decisions issued on or after 9 March 2026. The change was confirmed in a policy update published on 11 March by homelessness charity Homeless Link, which has monitored the pilot since it began last year. Under the new rules, recognised refugees and others granted leave must vacate government-funded hotels or hostels six weeks after being told that their asylum support will cease. They will still receive the statutory minimum 28 days’ warning that cash payments are ending, but campaigners say the shortened transition will not give local authorities enough time to arrange housing or benefits.
![UK cuts asylum ‘move-on’ grace period to 42 days, raising homelessness fears]()
At this point, it is worth noting that VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) can help refugees, employers and advisers navigate the wider UK immigration landscape once asylum support ends, offering up-to-date guidance and application assistance for visas, residence permits and related documentation so that newly recognised refugees can move forward with work, study or family plans without unnecessary administrative hurdles.
The 56-day period had been introduced to align with the Homelessness Reduction Act’s prevention duties. Home Office guidance confirms that support can be extended on a “case-by-case basis” where there is a risk of street homelessness, but practitioners note that extensions are rarely granted in practice. Homeless Link warns that rough-sleeping numbers are already at record highs, with non-UK nationals accounting for a quarter of those counted in the Autumn 2025 snapshot. Sector bodies are urging ministers to publish the promised evaluation of the 56-day pilot before locking in the 42-day limit. They argue that reducing the grace period undercuts the government’s own National Plan to End Homelessness and could push newly recognised refugees into destitution, undermining integration and employability goals for people granted protection. For employers that sponsor refugees under skilled-worker schemes, the change increases the risk that new hires will lose accommodation before they can secure jobs and private rentals. Mobility managers are advised to review relocation budgets and engage local councils early when onboarding staff with recent asylum backgrounds.
At this point, it is worth noting that VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) can help refugees, employers and advisers navigate the wider UK immigration landscape once asylum support ends, offering up-to-date guidance and application assistance for visas, residence permits and related documentation so that newly recognised refugees can move forward with work, study or family plans without unnecessary administrative hurdles.
The 56-day period had been introduced to align with the Homelessness Reduction Act’s prevention duties. Home Office guidance confirms that support can be extended on a “case-by-case basis” where there is a risk of street homelessness, but practitioners note that extensions are rarely granted in practice. Homeless Link warns that rough-sleeping numbers are already at record highs, with non-UK nationals accounting for a quarter of those counted in the Autumn 2025 snapshot. Sector bodies are urging ministers to publish the promised evaluation of the 56-day pilot before locking in the 42-day limit. They argue that reducing the grace period undercuts the government’s own National Plan to End Homelessness and could push newly recognised refugees into destitution, undermining integration and employability goals for people granted protection. For employers that sponsor refugees under skilled-worker schemes, the change increases the risk that new hires will lose accommodation before they can secure jobs and private rentals. Mobility managers are advised to review relocation budgets and engage local councils early when onboarding staff with recent asylum backgrounds.
