This heartless system
23 September 2025: BBC: Behind the doors of asylum hotels – what I found when I went inside
As I eat a meal cooked on the floor of a shower, I realise nothing has prepared me for what life is like for the residents of an asylum hotel.
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The Home Office says it is identifying more suitable relocation sites for asylum seekers, such as disused buildings and former military facilities.
In the meantime, “we expect all providers to uphold the highest standards in preserving the safety, security, and wellbeing of those in their care”, said a spokesperson.
Since talking to me at the asylum hotel, Kadir and his family have been told they are to be moved on once more – to two hotels in different cities. Kadir and his baby daughter have been offered accommodation in one hotel, and Mira, Shayan and Roman in another, nearly 200 miles away.
But they are refusing to go. Kadir has already been told he has lost his weekly benefit and there is a chance the family will be deemed to have made themselves intentionally homeless.
The future for the family – like many other asylum seekers – remains anything but certain.