Home Office set to halve time asylum seekers spend in hotels

The Home Office has announced plans to halve the time asylum seekers are allowed to stay in hotels before transitioning to their own accommodation. Currently, individuals granted asylum are given 56 days to move out of temporary hotel housing, but this will be reduced to just 28 days. The government's rationale for this change is to encourage a quicker integration of asylum seekers into local communities and reduce the reliance on hotel accommodation, which has been increasingly used to house new arrivals. However, critics argue that the shortened timeline may put undue pressure on those seeking asylum and make it more difficult for them to secure suitable long-term housing. The decision is part of the government's broader efforts to reform the UK's asylum system, which has faced significant challenges in recent years due to a growing backlog of cases and increasing numbers of people seeking refuge in the country.