​UK to charge refugees £10,000 for accommodation and support costs

The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has announced that persons granted asylum will be required to pay back approximately £10,000 towards the cost of their accommodation and support once they start earning.

These changes will be included in the upcoming Immigration and Asylum Bill, which is scheduled to be presented to Parliament.

Read also:Nigeria sees 21% surge in asylum seekers as refugee population declines

This comes as government figures show that supporting asylum seekers cost taxpayers around £4 billion last year.

Publicly owned accommodation costs an average of £23.25 per night per person, compared to £144 per night in a hotel, while weekly subsistence payments range from £9.95 to £49.18 per person.

The new rules will apply to adults with sufficient funds who have the right to work in the UK. Refugees must clear this debt before they can become eligible for permanent settlement.

The Home Office has not yet determined the minimum income threshold required before monthly instalments begin, but the Home Secretary will have the power to adjust future charges and repayment thresholds to ensure the system remains fair to taxpayers without forcing individuals into destitution.

Those whose asylum claims have been rejected will also be subject to the repayments if their income meets the designated threshold.

Explaining the rationale behind the policy, Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, stated:
“Asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility. Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so.”

Read also:FG clarifies UK asylum agreement, says deportees will be Nigerians only

However, the plans have faced strong criticism from advocacy groups. Imran Hussain, director of External Affairs at the Refugee Council, described the policy as an unfair and impractical financial burden.

He remarked:
“The reason why many need asylum support is because the Home Office itself bans asylum seekers from working while their claims are being assessed. Asylum support is only given to people who are at risk of being destitute, so this new financial burden would only harm those who arrive on our shores with nothing.”

Feasibility questioned

Experts have also questioned how much revenue the government will successfully recover, given the traditionally low employment and earning rates among refugees.

According to Home Office data, only 25 percent of working-age refugees find employment within the same calendar year of being granted asylum, though this rises to 50 percent after two years. Eight years after gaining refugee status, only 37 percent are in full-time work with median earnings of £23,000.

Madeleine Sumption, the Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, noted:
“In 2023, for example, an estimated 13 percent of people granted refugee status five years earlier were earning at least £20,000, with the rest either not working or on lower earnings. The data suggests that unless thresholds were significantly below the minimum wage, a relatively small share of people granted asylum would earn enough to make contributions to the scheme.”

The announcement follows recent Home Office disclosures that it plans to open more former military barracks to house thousands of asylum seekers, while closing 20 more hotels across England.

The upcoming legislation will also introduce capped, safe, and legal routes to the UK, allowing universities, businesses, and community groups to sponsor refugees and lower costs for the taxpayer.