This guide explains UK asylum support as a separate process from the asylum claim itself. It covers the ASF1 application for accommodation and/or essential-living payments, evidence to organise, what the support offer may include, and how to challenge a refusal or stop decision. Support is assessed on the applicant's circumstances; this page cannot decide whether a person qualifies.
People waiting on a stateless-permission application may also need to understand a separate route for housing or money. The UK stateless-person permission guide signposts that support may be available in defined circumstances; an asylum-support application does not establish statelessness or decide the immigration application.
Support is not automatic
Make the need clear
A support appeal is urgent
Asylum claim and support are different decisions
The asylum process decides whether the UK will grant protection or another form of permission. Asylum support addresses housing and essential living needs for people who meet the support rules. A pending claim does not guarantee support, and an asylum-support decision does not decide the protection claim.
If you still need to register your protection claim, see our UK asylum claim process guide. GOV.UK says people may be able to request asylum support from the day the claim is registered, but they still need to apply and satisfy the applicable conditions.
When ASF1 may be relevant
GOV.UK directs people to form ASF1 if they and any dependants are, or are likely to become, homeless or run out of money within the next 14 days. Published help describes support for certain people with an asylum or Article 3 human-rights claim still under consideration, dependants, people appealing a refusal, and some people whose claims are fully determined who need to make arrangements to leave or face a temporary barrier to leaving. Different statutory provisions and conditions can apply, so use the current form guidance for the person's status.
Support may be requested for accommodation, a cash allowance, or both. An applicant who has a place to stay but lacks resources for essential needs may have different needs from someone with nowhere to live. The Home Office may assess income, assets, accommodation, dependants and other help available. Do not leave out savings, money held outside the UK, payments, people supporting you, or a change in where you can stay.
Section 95 and section 4 are different support routes
Home Office guidance describes section 95 support for eligible asylum claimants and dependants while a claim or qualifying appeal is pending. Section 4 is a separate, restricted route for some people whose asylum claim has been fully determined, for example where a temporary legal or practical barrier prevents departure and the person meets the destitution conditions. Do not choose a section based only on a refusal letter: check whether an appeal is outstanding, the exact status and the current ASF1 instructions. The public ASF1 materials describe possible eligibility groups; they do not guarantee that an application will be accepted.
If you have a child under 18, tell the Home Office and include the child in the household information. Home Office policy describes circumstances where support may continue for a household with a dependent child even after the main claim is refused. A pregnant person or someone caring for a young child may also have additional needs or supplementary-food support. Check the current policy and request the relevant consideration; do not assume the standard household payment covers every additional need.
How to apply and organise evidence
Use the current ASF1 form and instructions linked from GOV.UK's asylum-support application page. The official page gives current submission details. The form may be completed on paper or through an online document depending on the available version. Migrant Help can assist with support applications and explain the process, but it does not make the Home Office decision.
Before submitting, gather information that helps explain the household's position:
- asylum registration or Home Office reference details and any decision or appeal documents;
- identity and dependant information, including children and their needs;
- where each person is staying and the date that accommodation may end;
- income, savings, accounts, assets and any support from family or others;
- essential expenses, health needs, medication, disability or safeguarding concerns;
- documents supporting urgent circumstances, such as notice to leave accommodation or a medical letter.
This is an organising list, not a fixed legal evidence test. Follow the ASF1 questions and provide truthful, complete answers. If documents are missing, explain why and how you can provide them. The Home Office may ask for more information. Respond by the date in the request; if you need more time, contact the caseworker using the listed route before the deadline and keep a record.
Before sending the form, compare every answer with the Home Office records you already have. Names, dates of birth, reference numbers, household membership and addresses should be consistent or explained. If you are staying temporarily with friends, describe when that arrangement ends and whether you can safely remain there. If someone else pays a bill or lends money, state the amount, whether it is regular and whether it can continue. A clear explanation of available resources helps the caseworker assess the actual shortfall; a bare statement that you have no money may prompt follow-up.
The Home Office may check the information you provide and ask you to supply evidence. Keep a full copy of the completed form and attachments, record when and how they were sent, and save any delivery confirmation. If you submit online or by email, keep the acknowledgement. If you post it, keep proof of posting. Use the current form for contact and submission details because addresses and channels can change.
If you have nowhere to stay and no funds to arrange accommodation, official guidance says you may ask for initial accommodation while longer-term support is assessed. Initial accommodation can be shared or catered. It is not a choice of area or a promise of a particular property. Explain urgent safety, health, disability and family circumstances so the decision-maker can consider them.
What support may include
The support offer can include accommodation, a weekly payment for essential needs, or both. GOV.UK currently describes accommodation as a flat, house, hostel or bed-and-breakfast placement; the person cannot choose where it is and placement in London or south-east England is unlikely. A weekly allowance may be loaded onto an ASPEN card. The amount differs when meals are provided and can change when official rates are updated, so check the live GOV.UK rate page before budgeting.
Additional help is a separate request. GOV.UK says a person may apply where the standard allowance will not meet a particular need and they cannot meet that need another way. Current instructions refer to ASF2 and ask applicants to show the need and why other resources are unavailable. The evidence might include a health professional's letter, a list of the additional items or costs, and information about other help considered. Follow the form's current instructions and use the support application service details printed there. Do not assume an additional request changes the standard allowance automatically.
The support letter and accommodation instructions set individual conditions. Read them carefully. Tell the Home Office or its accommodation provider about a change in household members, medical needs, contact details or ability to remain at the address. Follow directions about travel, absence and accommodation rules. Keep each letter and record conversations, because a missed appointment or unreported change can affect support.
Do not treat the current public rate as a personal entitlement calculation. Eligibility and the form of support depend on the case, and some people may be eligible for different support under different provisions. If you need extra help for a specific health or essential need, check the official additional-support guidance and ask a regulated adviser or Migrant Help how to submit the request.
If support is refused or stopped: the three-day clock
Read the decision letter as soon as it arrives. It should explain why support was refused or stopped and whether there is a right of appeal. GOV.UK says a person can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Asylum Support) if an asylum-support application was refused or existing support was stopped. This is not the same as appealing a refusal of asylum or immigration permission.
The tribunal must receive the appeal within 3 days of the date you receive the decision letter. This deadline is exceptionally short. Contact the Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP) promptly for free advice and representation, or use the tribunal contact details and current E09 notice-of-appeal instructions. The application should explain why you disagree, include the decision and supporting material, say whether you want a hearing, and explain any lateness. Do not wait for all evidence before seeking help or submitting within the deadline.
GOV.UK says support may continue while an appeal is pending in some cases, particularly where a person was already receiving support, but check the decision, appeal instructions and adviser guidance for the particular case. After the tribunal decides, it may allow the appeal, dismiss it or send the decision back for reconsideration. A further challenge is generally not a second factual appeal; get legal advice immediately if you believe there was a legal error.
Prepare the appeal within the short time limit
Write down the day the decision letter was received and contact an adviser the same day if possible. The official E09 notice of appeal asks for the grounds, a copy of the decision and any evidence supporting the challenge. It also asks whether you want a hearing and, for a late appeal, why it is late. Examples of records to discuss with an adviser include updated bank statements, a notice that accommodation will end, medical evidence, proof of household members, or documents showing that the Home Office misunderstood information already supplied. Do not send original identity documents unless the current instructions ask for them.
Check that the tribunal receives the form within three days; sending it on the last day is not enough if it arrives late. Use the current submission details on the form and keep a complete copy and proof of delivery. GOV.UK lists the First-tier Tribunal (Asylum Support) helpline, but it cannot give legal advice. ASAP offers free advice and representation for tribunal appeals. If circumstances worsen while an appeal is being prepared, tell the support casework team and adviser immediately and ask what urgent action is available.
The tribunal appeal challenges the asylum-support decision. It does not extend immigration permission, reverse an asylum refusal or decide whether you qualify for refugee status. If the asylum claim itself was refused, there may be a separate immigration appeal with a different form and time limit. Treat each letter as its own decision and do not use the three-day support deadline for a protection appeal or vice versa.
Practical next steps
- 1Check the immediate need — Write down when accommodation ends, what money is available and which household members need help. If you have no place to stay, say so when seeking initial accommodation.
- 2Use the current ASF1 route — Download or complete the form linked from GOV.UK and follow the current submission instructions.
- 3Support each answer with records — Include relevant Home Office documents, accommodation details, income and asset information, dependant needs and urgent evidence.
- 4Respond to requests and keep copies — Meet the deadline in every Home Office letter. Save the submitted form, attachments, delivery proof and decision.
- 5Appeal immediately if refused or stopped — Note when the letter arrived. Contact ASAP and ensure the tribunal receives the appeal within 3 days.