Dispelling myths about migrants and housing

Migrants are often blamed for housing shortages, but the truth is they stand less of a chance of getting social housing than people born in the UK. This article details some of the common claims we hear about migrants’ housing rights that are untrue or only partially true, to dispel the myths with facts.

Quick facts:

• Asylum seekers:
  
  • Are ineligible for social housing
  • Are mostly barred from working
  • Only make up around five per cent of migrants to the UK (the rest are usually short-term visa-holding students and essential workers who often live in tied accommodation)
  • Receive just £9.95 per week to live on if housed in accommodation such as hotels or army barracks (increased to £49.18 per week to include food and essentials if they live in standard accommodation such as shared housing)
• UK population growth depends on migration, because births and deaths are broadly in balance – we need growth to boost our economy
• Low or zero migration would mean a rapidly ageing UK population with higher demands for financial support (e.g. state pensions) and social care, and fewer working-age people to provide for them
• Only one in 10 new social tenancies are allocated to non-UK nationals
• Migrants pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits and according to the OBR if net migration fell to zero, public finances would fall by about £20 billion annually.

Local people receive housing before migrants

New migrants arriving in the UK aren’t eligible for social housing except in very limited circumstances (e.g. a spouse forced to leave home because of domestic violence). Most people who come to the UK on visas to work or study have ‘no recourse to public funds’ and can’t receive benefits or get help with their housing.

After several months or in some cases, even years, asylum seekers (around five per cent of migrants) can be given refugee status and can become eligible for housing and benefits, but:

• Even then, many are not classified as in ‘priority need’ for homelessness assistance (in England) and may never be allocated social housing.
• Over the last four years, the numbers of refugees who are homeless or at risk of homelessness has increased five-fold and many end up sleeping rough.

The housing crisis has been caused by fewer homes being built, not migration

Of course, migration adds to housing demand in general, but data tells us that migration is not the overall cause. The gap between housing supply over the last decade and demand was so big that even if migration stopped completely, new house building would still have fallen short of what’s required.

• Net migration (the difference between those arriving in the UK minus those leaving) is down to around 200,000 annually and is expected to fall further from its peak of over 900,000 in 2023.
• In England, housing stock only grew by around 2.1 million in the 10 years to 2023/24 – an average of around 210,000 homes a year.

There’s no straightforward link between migration and housing demand

The extent to which population growth affects housing demand depends on the economy – separate households only form when they can afford to, otherwise people share, live with parents etc. Also, most migrants who have been in the UK for under five years: 

• Live in the private rented sector, where their immigration status has to be checked by landlords before granting a tenancy.
• Live in tied accommodation – student lodgings, farm workers on farms, hospitality workers living where they work, etc.
• Many arrive on family visas and move into their partner’s accommodation.

Migrants have very few rights and access to support

A previous home secretary claimed that migrants without permission to stay can still ‘access everything they need’, but in fact migrants:

• Are ineligible for social housing if they are ‘subject to immigration control’ (explained here). 
• Have to wait at least five years and pay very large fees to get a permanent right to be in the UK (‘indefinite leave to remain’, explained here).
• Must pay an annual fee to access the NHS until they get a permanent right to live in the UK. 
• Must have a ‘right to work’ to get a job and a ‘right to rent’ to get a tenancy (explained here).

This so-called ‘hostile environment’ aims to deter undocumented migrants, but it in practice it affects all migrants and even British citizens such as those who don’t have passports. As we saw with the ‘Windrush’ scandal, thousands of people who had lived here most of their lives, lost jobs, their homes, and their benefits because of complicated rules or because they did not have passports.

Asylum seekers aren’t eligible for council housing

People who apply for asylum get very limited help from the state. If they are ‘destitute’ they get free accommodation, now provided by private companies like Serco, and normally in hotels, army barracks or older properties leased from landlords and shared accommodation. To live they are given:

• Just £49 per week to pay for food and all their expenses, or,
• If housed in hotels or army-barrack style accommodation, they only get around £9 per week.

Asylum seekers can’t get council housing nor are most allowed to work

Asylum seekers who are eventually accepted as refugees are eligible for homelessness help or for social housing, but they have a maximum of 42 days to leave their asylum accommodation and arrange all their paperwork so getting accommodation is extremely difficult. 

• Most new refugees are only given 30 months permission to stay in the UK initially, and often are (wrongly) discriminated against by landlords because of this limited permission.
• Some refugees who come direct to the UK on special schemes (like those evacuated from Ukraine) might get social housing – but even then, they may spend long periods in unsuitable temporary accommodation beforehand.
• Once eligible for social housing, they don’t get any special priority and (like UK citizens do) refugees have to spend time on a waiting list and meet requirements such as having lived in the area for a period of years. 

Migrants contribute more to taxes than they use in public services

The Migration Observatory has collated all the evidence on whether migrants pay more in taxes than they receive in services, and almost every study shows that they do. Important to keep in mind that:

• New house building, care services and many other parts of the economy depend heavily on migrant workers. 
• Tougher migration policies might make it more difficult to solve Britain’s housing problems, not less.
  

Don’t fall for the myths, you can find out more and see the full details of migrants' eligibility for housing an benefits on the CIH Housing Rights website and sign up for our free monthly newsletters straight to your inbox.