On 25 July 2025, the Home Office announced a “new” Failure to Travel policy aimed specifically at single adults seeking asylum who are currently living in hotels and refuse to move into dispersal accommodation (housing in the community). Anyone who refuses to travel without a “valid reason” could lose both their accommodation and financial support.

This is part of the government’s wider push for full dispersal, which means moving people out of hotels and into housing across the UK.

Asylum support is provided on a no-choice basis, meaning you cannot choose which city or area you live in. This can be extremely difficult, as people are often separated from vital support networks, legal representation, and community.

Although the Home Office is presenting this as a “new” measure, there has always been a failure to travel policy in place. What remains unclear is how forcefully and widely it will now be enforced.

If you are living in a hotel or supporting someone who is living in a hotel, we have updated the Toolkit page on Asylum Support with information on Failure to Travel, what happens if you refuse to travel and what is a valid reason for failing to travel.