Policy paper

Communities for Afghans: matching policy

Updated 31 October 2024

Communities for Afghans matching process 

The Home Office will allocate suitable accommodation to households eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) Pathways 2 and 3 and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) in line with Home Office ACRS policy guidance and the process described below.

Submitting accommodation to the Home Office

Citizens UK are required to submit offers of settled accommodation on behalf of sponsor groups by emailing a completed property form to communitiesforafghans@homeoffice.gov.uk.

The one allocation matching process

The Home Office operates a one allocation matching process. Under this process, households may receive a maximum of one allocation of settled accommodation. An allocation of settled accommodation may be made either while the household are still abroad or while accommodated in government-funded transitional accommodation. Households may receive an allocation of accommodation through one of the following accommodation pathways by the Home Office accommodation matching team:

• a Local Authority settled accommodation match
• a Communities for Afghans (CfA) settled accommodation match
• a Service Family Accommodation (SFA) settled accommodation match (for ARAP only)
• a Mears private rented sector settled accommodation match (for ARAP only)

Households will not be able to choose under which pathway an allocation of accommodation can be made. It is important to understand that an allocation of settled accommodation is not guaranteed under any pathway, as it is subject to the availability and suitability of accommodation. Information provided by households as part of their accommodation matching triage questionnaire, which will be completed pre-arrival or upon arrival in the UK, will provide the information used to make suitable allocations of accommodation to households that meet their needs. Suitable accommodation allocations mean that allocations will be made on the basis of the specific needs of the household (for example, family size, accessibility) and will not be based on household preferences such as location preferences.

Sponsor group decision

The Home Office will notify Citizens UK when a provisional CfA settled accommodation match is made and provide secure access to household information.

Citizens UK will need to confirm to the Home Office within 5 working days upon receipt of the provisional match whether the sponsor group agrees to the match and are able to support the household’s needs, based on the information provided by the Home Office. If agreeing to the match, Citizens UK should provide the Home Office with a factsheet containing information about the sponsorship arrangement.

If Citizens UK confirm the match on behalf of the sponsor group, the accommodation allocation will be made to the household.

If Citizens UK decline the match on behalf of the sponsor group, the accommodation allocation will re-enter the matching process for matching to another household. The Home Office will seek to re-match the family to alternative settled accommodation.

Community sponsorship is a significant undertaking, and the commitment and resilience volunteers will need to show to welcome a refugee family to their community should not be underestimated. Each resettled family will be different, but they will all have suffered the loss of their home. Many will have lost loved ones, friends and family, and witnessed the horrors of war. Some may have medical needs or disabilities. Sponsor groups must carefully consider whether they are able to support a resettled family, making them feel welcome and helping them to adjust as they begin a new life for themselves.

It is important that matches are as suitable and sustainable as possible since sponsor groups commit to providing accommodation and emotional and practical integration support to a resettled family for 2 years. It is also important that the matching process is efficient in order to move families into settled accommodation swiftly, for this reason sponsor groups should think carefully about whether they may be able to support the family they are allocated before declining a match.

This policy will be reviewed if a high rate of sponsor declines is seen

Household allocation

Once a match has been approved by Citizens UK and the sponsors group, the Home Office will present the allocation and accompanying factsheet to the household. Under Communities for Afghans, households are subject to the one allocation matching process.

If the household wishes to discuss their one allocation, they should contact their Home Office Liaison Officer (HOLO) within 5 working days of receipt of their allocation (for ACRS Pathways 2 and 3) or their Transitional Site Commander within 7 calendar days (for ARAP).

Citizens UK may arrange for sponsor groups to contact the household, ensuring they have access to technology and interpreters where required. This communication must take place within the window the household has to respond to their allocation of accommodation.

We strongly encourage households to accept an allocation of accommodation that is made as the Home Office will not be able to provide any alternative accommodation offers outside of the one allocation being given.

Rejection process

If a household chooses to reject their allocation of settled accommodation prior to arrival in the UK they will be required to make their own onward accommodation arrangements. Travel to the UK will be facilitated for households that reject an accommodation allocation, however, government-funded transitional accommodation will be provided for a minimum of 28 calendar days from the issuance of their e-visas. After this time elapses households will be required to organise their own accommodation and leave transitional accommodation.

For ACRS 2 and 3

If a household rejects their allocation of settled accommodation after arrival in the UK and entered into an excluded licence, they will be given a minimum of 28 calendar days’ notice to leave transitional accommodation from the issuance of their e-visa, or rejection of an allocation of settled accommodation, whichever is later.

For ARAP

If a household rejects their allocation of settled accommodation after arrivals in the UK, they will be given 7 calendar days to vacate Military Accommodation. If they do not vacate within this window, a Notice to Quit (NTQ) will be issued to adults within the household. This will give them a further 65 days to vacate the property before court action is taken.

Reasons for rejection are not routinely considered. If a household rejects an allocation of accommodation the decision is taken as final and may not be overturned.

Voluntary withdrawal and ending of the one allocation matching process

Households are unlikely to receive an allocation of settled accommodation before arriving in the UK. If the same household chooses to make their own accommodation arrangements on arrival in the UK rather than enter into transitional accommodation on arrival into the UK for any reason, this will be viewed as voluntary withdrawal from the one allocation matching process. These households will be ineligible to receive accommodation allocations through the process.

All households can choose to make their own settled accommodation arrangements, prior to, or on arrival in the UK. Households who enter transitional accommodation and go on to successfully find and secure their own settled accommodation will be viewed as voluntarily withdrawing from the one allocation matching process. Councils might also provide integration support when a household moves to their area under the Find Your Own Accommodation pathway. These households will be ineligible to receive accommodation allocations through this process.

ACRS Pathways 2 and 3 households that voluntarily withdraw from the one allocation process will be given a minimum of 28 calendar days’ notice to leave transitional accommodation from the issuance of their e-visa, or rejection of an accommodation allocation, whichever is later.

ARAP households that voluntarily withdraw from the one allocation process will be given a minimum of 7 calendar days’ notice to leave Military Accommodation. If they do not vacate within 7 days, a NTQ (Notice to Quit) is issued by DIO legal and is delivered to all adult EPs by registered post. This gives them 65 days to vacate the property before court action is taken.  

The one allocation matching process will end when the provision of transitional accommodation ends for a household. Households who have not been made an allocation of settled accommodation before the provision of transitional accommodation ends will no longer be eligible to receive an allocation of accommodation. They will need to make their own accommodation arrangements which may include making a homelessness application.

Households that do not enter a settled accommodation arrangement under the Communities for Afghans project (either because they have refused an allocation or did not receive one) will be supported in accordance with existing Home Office policy, including ACRS policy guidance, and will not be part of the Communities for Afghans project.