Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure illegal migrants accommodated in (a) hotels and (b) other government supported accommodation who leave that accommodation and do not report back within 72 hours are reported to UK Visas and Immigration and the police as having absconded except in pre-arranged and agreed exceptional circumstances.

The Home Office provides accommodation and support to destitute asylum seekers under statutory provisions such as Sections 95 and 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. This accommodation is non‑detained, and the Department does not have legal powers to keep individuals securely within it or limit the hours they may leave.

Some individuals may be on immigration bail, which is an alternative to detention and requires them to comply with one or more conditions. These may include residing at a specific address or reporting to the Home Office. Breach of a bail condition is a criminal offence and may result in detention or other enforcement action.

Absence from accommodation does not automatically mean a person has absconded. A person is only considered to have absconded if they fail to comply with their immigration bail conditions and the Home Office cannot re‑establish contact. A dedicated tracing team works closely with the police and other partners to locate such individuals.

Accommodation providers must report when service users are absent from their address, and the Home Office investigates these cases as possible breaches of asylum support conditions. If a person is found to have left their accommodation without good reason, their support may be discontinued. Providers are also expected to escalate concerns where someone may be at risk or potentially a victim of modern slavery.