The Home Office announced that the move on period has been extended from 28 to 56 days, from Monday 9 December 2024.

This blog breaks down the change in simple terms. 

What is the move on period?

When a person receives a positive decision on their asylum claim, they are given a short amount of time to ‘move on’ from their asylum accommodation, which means finding somewhere new to live, and applying for benefits before finding a job.

This time is called the ‘move on period’.

The move on period can be incredibly stressful for people who have often been stuck in the asylum system for a long time. There is a high risk of homelessness and destitution in this time.

What is this change?

As a result of this change, the move on period is now 56 days (instead of 28). 

There are a number of important milestones in the 56 day period. The basic structure is this: 

• An asylum decision letter is sent to a newly granted refugee. The 56 day period starts from this point – receiving this letter ‘starts the clock’.
  
  From this point onwards, you should begin the process of accessing housing support by contacting your Local Authority, and applying for financial support in the form of Universal Credit.
  

With the transition to eVisas, the asylum decision letter should also have details of how to log into your UKVI account to access your eVisa. Keep this letter safe, and try to log into your UKVI account as soon as you can. Read more about the transition to eVisas here.

You might need to use your eVisa to prove your immigration status and access other types of support. However, you should be able to get Universal Credit from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) using just your decision letter and your ARC card if there is a delay in being able to access your eVisa.

You might also need to use your asylum decision letter as proof of status, and in any homelessness applications you make. It might be a good idea to make a copy of this letter as it is very important.

• The asylum support discontinuation letter is then sent, and will give an exact date for the end of support, which will be within 56 days from the date of decision, and at least 28 days from the date of the asylum support discontinuation letter.
  
  The asylum support discontinuation letter should not be issued until an individual has been issued with their UKVI account details to access their eVisa.
  
  
• The final letter a newly granted refugee will receive is the notice to quit letter from their accommodation provider. This letter needs to give at least 7 days notice for the person to leave the property.
  

This extension to the move on period is an interim measure; they expect to be in place until June 2025. It is a ‘pilot’ which the Home Office will be reviewing in the new year. This extension applies to all forms of leave, not just refugee status. 

This change is a step in the right direction. Many organisations have been pushing for an extension to the move on period, to give newly granted refugees more time to navigate a very challenging time. However, the success of this extension will depend on the implementation of the eVisa rollout, which is vital for people to be able to prove their immigration status.