Asylum support and refugee resettlement: the role of London Boroughs

This briefing covers the following:

• ​Support for Ukraine Visa Scheme arrivals
• Afghan Resettlement
• Support for Sudanese arrivals
• Support For Hong Kong BN(O) Visa Scheme Arrivals

Support for Ukraine Visa Scheme arrivals:

There are three Ukraine Visa Schemes with varying funding arrangements for local authorities as is summarised in the table below):

(You can see more information about the different schemes, and the numbers of arrivals under each scheme here).

• The government also announced £150 million funding FY23/24 – this is to support Ukrainians under all Ukraine visa schemes and others to move into their own homes and reduce the risk of homelessness. £109 million has been allocated to local authorities in England via the Homelessness Prevention Grant (ringfenced for homelessness) and unspent funding does not roll over to the next financial year.

London boroughs have continued to meet, share best practice and step-up support for Ukrainian arrivals since the outbreak of the war on 24 February 2023. At the start of the conflict, this included sharing information on how accommodation and safeguarding checks could be conducted as there was initially a lack of guidance for local authorities.

The guidance for local authorities on providing support for Homes for Ukraine arrivals continues to be updated - please see here: Homes for Ukraine: council guides - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 A significant number of Ukrainian households have presented as homeless in London (over 1300), but London boroughs continue to identify innovative practice to help Ukrainians find private rented sector accommodation when sponsorship arrangements come to an end despite the acute challenges with the London housing market.

Afghan Resettlement

There are two schemes for Afghan resettlement in the UK. Both resettlement schemes come with indefinite leave to remain, access to benefits, housing/homelessness support and the right to work:

1. Afghan Citizens Resettlement scheme Afghan citizens resettlement scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
2. Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy: further information on eligibility criteria, offer details and how to apply - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Afghan evacuees were placed in bridging hotels following evacuation flights from Kabul in August 2021 (and flights that have occurred since). Over 15,000 people were evacuated to the UK in August 2021 and a significant proportion were placed in bridging hotels in London. London boroughs with bridging hotels worked together to address challenges and share best practice to ensure the immediate needs of Afghan arrivals were met (i.e. food and clothes provided), and wider support was provided (i.e. registering Afghans with GPs and ensuring children were enrolled in schools).

The government have asked local authorities to identify housing for Afghan individuals and families. Most bridging hotels in London have already closed, and local authorities across the country have been trying to identify housing for Afghans and provide crucial integration support.

By the end of this Summer (2023) the government plan to have moved Afghans out of bridging hotels across the nation, unless there are medical reasons, or unless Afghans have been matched to accommodation that is not ready at the time of the bridging hotel closure but will come online before 31^st December 2023.

Summary of the funding arrangements for Afghans:

• For both ARAP and ACRS, local authorities that have Afghans in settled accommodation receive an integration tariff of £20,520 per person over three years. Year 1 (£10,500) is ringfenced, paid in three instalments: 40% once the household/person has settled accommodation; 30% at the end of month 4, 30% at the end of month 8. Years 2 (£6,000) and 3 (£4,020) are unringfenced. Alongside the integration tariff the following funding is available:
  • £2,600 per adult for health – Year 1 only. 
  • £850 per person for adult ESOL  – Year 1 only 
  • Up to £4,500 for education per child – Year 1 only 
• £28 per person per night Hotel Wraparound –  this funding is available to local authorities whilst Afghans are in bridging accommodation in the local area.  This is paid quarterly in arrears. There is also £2.4m funding for case workers, targeted at local authorities with bridging hotels. £20,000 has been allocated per hotel plus £157.86 per person resident in the bridging hotel at 1 April 2023.  
• The following funding is available to support with housing costs:
  • £7,100 flexible housing fund per person for people moving out of bridging accommodation from 1 April 2023, supporting moves from hotels into settled accommodation, claimable as lump sum in year 1.
  • £9,150 Homelessness funding per household in bridging hotel for accepted relief or main homelessness duties up to two years after bridging hotel closes, paid in lump sum to LTLAs from 1 April 2023.
  • £28 temporary integration support per person per day for households in temporary accommodation for up to six months. Claimed quarterly in arrears and based on number of days that support provided. 

Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF)

• Capital fund that supports local authorities in England to obtain housing for those who are unable to find settled accommodation on resettlement schemes.
• LAHF1: LAHF Round 1 provides £500 million for Local authorities in England to obtain accommodation for families with housing needs who have arrived in the UK via Ukrainian and Afghan resettlement schemes.
• LAHF 2: LAFH Round 2 provides £250 million for local authorities in England -  the majority of the additional funding used to house those on Afghan resettlement schemes currently in bridging accommodation and the rest for wider homelessness pressures.

Support for Sudanese arrivals

• In April 2023, the UK government announced that it was commencing an evacuation effort to help British nationals leave Sudan; Flights were open to those with British passports and priority was given to family groups.
• On 3 May 2023, the UK government stated that 2,341 people had been evacuated on 28 flights.
• There is no funding/tariff for local authorities to support this cohort – and no tracking system to monitor arrivals. However, a number of local authorities have stepped up support to accommodate and integrate Sudanese arrivals. There have also been homelessness presentations from Sudanese arrivals in London.

Support for asylum seekers and unaccompanied asylum seeking children

• Asylum seekers are entitled to social care services, early education and childcare, primary and secondary education and further education, free school meals, legal aid, NHS primary care and other health services.
• Asylum seekers are not entitled to work whilst their application is being considered, unless they have been in the UK for over 12 months.
• Asylum seekers are also not eligible for benefits; asylum seekers can receive accommodation (hotel/bedsit) and subsistence support from the home office (£47.39 per week but if in catered accommodation this drops to only £9.58 per week). This is through section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act.
• Clearsprings Ready Homes and Migrant Help are commissioned by the Home Office to provide asylum accommodation and support in London. The majority of asylum seekers in London have been housed in contingency hotels by Clearsprings Ready Homes.
• Whilst the Home Office are responsible for providing support to asylum seekers, local authorities are responsible for supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC). The NTS (national transfer scheme) allocates UASC to each local authority across the country to provide key support and identify foster care or supported living provision. Local authorities that have more UASC than 0.1% of their child population will not receive referrals.
• London boroughs have statutory duties towards asylum seekers (i.e. around safeguarding), and a number of London boroughs have stepped up outreach and wraparound support for asylum seekers.
• In order to try and move asylum seekers out of hotels (which present a number of environmental health, public health and safeguarding concerns) and prevent London boroughs from facing disproportionate pressures, London Leaders have agreed a London Asylum Dispersal Plan.
• The government have introduced the Streamlined Asylum Process (SAP) for a select group of nationalities to fast-track asylum cases and decrease the asylum backlog. Once asylum seekers receive refugee status, they are entitled to work, benefits and social housing support - there is a 28 day period for asylum seekers to move out of asylum accommodation, and 21 days if they do not receive refugee status, unless they appeal the decision.

The Illegal Migration Act received Royal Assent on 20 July, and will have a significant impact on the asylum system, particularly asylum seekers that have arrived to the UK via irregular routes, although a number of operational details have yet to be clarified.

Funding for Local authorities

Support For Hong Kong BN(O) Visa Scheme Arrivals

The Hong Kong BN(O) visa route opened on 31 January 2021; this allows Hong Kong nationals who meet visa requirements to live, work, and apply for citizenship after 5 years in the UK. See here for more information about the Hong Kong BN(O) visa route, and arrivals in London boroughs.

There is no upfront funding or tariff for local authorities to support Hong Kong BN(O) visa scheme arrivals.

However, If Hong Kongers present themselves/need support, local authorities can put in a claim so they can receive support for destitution and improve their competency in English:

• £850 per head to support access to English language classes for BN(O) status holders.
• Up to £2,720 per BN(O) household for destitution support (dependent on the No Recourse to Public Funds' condition being successfully lifted by the Home Office).
•  Local authorities can submit their claims for the above costs on DELTA (DLUHC’s in-house data collection platform) on a quarterly basis. You can access the DELTA platform by following this link: http://delta.communities.gov.uk/.

Funding has gone to a number of voluntary and community sector organisation to provide support to Hong Kong BN(O)s and welcome hubs have been established across the country, including in London. London boroughs were invited to bid for GLA funding to support this cohort through the GLA’s Local Hong Kong Welcome Fund (the boroughs have been selected and bids have now closed).

UK Resettlement Scheme

• The UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) started in March 2021. Its purpose is to resettle vulnerable refugees in need of protection from a range of regions of conflict and instability across the globe.
• Numbers resettled under it are based on local authority capacity (with local authorities and other parties through community sponsorship, being asked to source accommodation, and local authorities providing wraparound integration support. This has replaced the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) and the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS), closed to new arrivals on 25 February 2021.
• See here for more information about this route.

Local authority Funding

• £20,520 per person integration tariff, funding over years 1-5. UK-wide. First year is ringfenced, the remaining four years are not ringfenced.
• £2,600 per adult for health. Year 1 only.
• £850 per adult for ESOL. Single payment on arrival in year 1.
• £4,500 up to for education per child. Year 1 only.

You may also be interested in registering for our online event: How your borough could become a ‘borough of sanctuary’.