Asylum seekers moved off Dorset barge

Hundreds of asylum seekers onboard the Bibby Stockholm have been moved off the barge ahead of decisions on whether they can stay in the UK.

Around 300 residents have already been moved, with around a further 100 still on board, the BBC understands.

Once in temporary accommodation, they are then told if they have been granted leave to remain in the UK.

If successful, they have 30 days to find somewhere to live.

It was previously announced the contract for the Bibby Stockholm, which is moored off Portland in Dorset, would expire in January 2025.

The Home Office confirmed that when the asylum seekers – who are all men – left the barge, none of them would be moved to Portland, Weymouth, or the wider Dorset Council area.

They would instead be “dispersed across the country”, it continued.

Campaigners helping the asylum seekers say they have seen them sent to places including Cardiff, Wolverhampton, Bristol and Worksop.

Giovanna Lewis from the Portland Global Friendship Group, which has been supporting the residents of the Bibby, said: “The men are taken individually by taxi to their new accommodation around the country, where they stay for three or four weeks supported by the Home Office until the decision on their status is made.

“If they are given the right to remain they have 30 days to find alternative accommodation. If they are refused they have the right to appeal and are supported while that appeal takes place.”

In a statement, a Home Office spokesperson said: “This government inherited an asylum system under unprecedented strain, with thousands stuck in a backlog without their claims processed.

“We have taken immediate action to restart asylum processing which will save an estimated £7 billion for the tax payer over the next ten years, and are delivering a major uplift in returns to remove people with no right to be in the UK. Over the long term this will reduce our reliance on hotels and costs of accommodation.

“We remain absolutely committed to ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers.”