Benefits & Housing
The claim
"Asylum seekers get generous benefits, free housing, and £70 a week spending money."
The headline facts
- Asylum seekers get £49.18 per person per week — about £7 a day
- If meals are provided in their accommodation, this drops to £10 per week
- They cannot claim Universal Credit or any mainstream benefits
- They are generally banned from working
Graphic idea: "Could you live on £7 a day?" — a visual breakdown of what £49.18 a week actually covers. Replace with your finished graphic.
The full picture
Asylum support is set at £49.18 per person per week — around £7 per day — to cover food, clothing and toiletries. This is confirmed on the GOV.UK asylum support page. If their accommodation provides meals, cash support is reduced further to just £10 per person per week (or £9.95 for those in full-board accommodation).
Asylum seekers cannot claim mainstream benefits like Universal Credit while their claim is being considered. They are also generally not permitted to work — the only exception is after 12 months of waiting, and only for jobs on the Immigration Salary List, which covers a narrow range of skilled occupations.
Graphic idea: "Myth vs Fact" — £70 a week (Myth) vs £49.18 a week / £7 a day (Fact). Replace with your finished graphic.
The widely-shared claim that hotel residents receive "£70 a week" has been checked and found to be false by Full Fact. The figure appears to have originated from a misreading of a government document and has been repeatedly amplified without correction.
Asylum seekers also have no choice over where they are housed — they are allocated accommodation by the Home Office and cannot choose their location. The idea that they are living comfortably at public expense does not match the reality of the support on offer.
Graphic idea: a red "NO" stamp over "Universal Credit," "Can work," "Choose where to live." Replace with your finished graphic.