Number of Afghan refugees in UK given permanent housing rises

Kabul: The process of transferring Afghan refugees living in the United Kingdom from hotels to permanent housing has accelerated, revealed TOLOnews.

The British Home Office warned a few months ago that if the Afghans who were moved to the hotels after being evacuated and transferred to the UK do not leave the hotels, they would be expelled from the hotels. A number of these Afghan citizens, who have moved to hotels in different regions of the country after being transferred to Britain, told TOLOnews that most people in the hotels have been moved to permanent homes.

The situation of Afghans who have been transferred to Britain has not been the same in all areas and in all hotels.

For some people, permanent homes became available quickly, but not for many.

The British Home Office said that 8,000 Afghan refugees who are currently residing in 59 hotels around the UK had until the end of August 2023 to vacate the accommodations.
The process of moving Afghan families into permanent houses has reportedly been sped up, according to a number of Afghans staying in hotels who spoke with TOLOnews.

“I live in a hotel ... Almost thirty families stayed in this hotel. Now there are seven or eight families left. Everyone has been given a home and left the hotel. I have also been offered a house and I am going to leave here on August 14,” said Abdur Rahman Fekri, who lives in a hotel in Kent.

Fekri says that homeowners are not particularly eager to rent homes to Afghans who still don't have jobs or an income in this country. However, the government's suggested homes can address the issue.

In a casual conversation, a number of Afghans in various cities and hotels also spoke to TOLOnews about such events.

Around 21,100 Afghans have immigrated to Britain under two different immigration programmes: one for disadvantaged individuals and members of racial or ethnic minorities, and the other for individuals employed by the British military or government.

The British government has stated that it does not promise that these refugees will be provided with the requested properties in reaction to certain Afghans' rejection of the government's suggested homes.

Earlier, some circles within the UK government challenged the decision of the British home office to set a deadline for citizens of Afghanistan living in hotels and have said that this decision may make these people face homelessness, TOLOnews reported.