Since January 2018, people held in immigration detention centres have no longer been able to apply for “Section 4” accommodation to be bailed (released) to. This accommodation was named after Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which provided a form of support to refused asylum seekers and also accommodation for people applying to be released from detention if this accommodation was necessary to avoid breaching their human rights.

The 2016 Immigration Act repealed this accommodation (with a provision brought in in January 2018), but provided the power for the Home Office to provide accommodation if the person would be deprived of liberty otherwise. To get this, you would need to show that you meet “exceptional circumstances” criteria.