Asylum Seekers Have Reason to Rejoice After Major Decision Goes in Their Favour While Thousands of Others Are Still Waiting

More than 31,000 people are currently on the council housing waiting list in Edinburgh, as the city faces growing pressure on its housing system and a sharp increase in applications from asylum seekers.

It has emerged that a Labour-run council has been giving priority to some asylum seekers for council housing, even as thousands of local residents continue to wait for a home.

According to The Telegraph, homeless asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been approved have been able to move ahead of some other applicants under a housing policy introduced by the City of Edinburgh Council in April 2025.

Under the policy, the council stopped processing applications from many people on the wider housing waiting list. This included local applicants who were not considered disabled, homeless or at risk of violence. The decision was made as the council struggled with increasing demand and a shortage of available housing.

However, applications from homeless asylum seekers who had received permission to remain in the UK continued to be processed.

The situation has caused concern among some local councillors and residents, particularly because the council’s housing waiting list now has more than 31,000 applicants. Around 42,000 homes are available through the council and local housing associations, but demand remains extremely high.

On Tuesday, councillors voted to bring back the system that was in place before April 2025. This will allow more people on the wider waiting list to have their applications processed again.

However, the change will not come into effect until October, meaning many applicants will have to continue waiting for several more weeks.

Under Scotland’s homelessness rules, people who are assessed as homeless can be entitled to help with accommodation. Asylum seekers who receive a positive decision from the Home Office can then be treated as homeless if they have nowhere to live and require support.

Edinburgh has already been dealing with a serious homelessness problem. Homelessness in the city has increased significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic, with figures showing a rise of around 75 per cent in recent years.

The pressure has also been felt in temporary accommodation, where more people are being placed while they wait for longer-term housing.

A council report shows that asylum seekers now make up more than 16 per cent of people placed in temporary accommodation in Edinburgh. That is a major increase from 2023, when asylum seekers accounted for only around one per cent of temporary accommodation placements.

At the same time, there has been much less change in the share of temporary accommodation being used by Scottish residents.

The figures have led to criticism from the Scottish Conservatives, who say the housing system is struggling to cope with demand.

Tim Eagle MSP, the party’s housing spokesman, accused the SNP of allowing the situation to become worse. He said ordinary people in Edinburgh were being left waiting while the housing system was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.

He argued that the growing number of homeless asylum seekers using temporary accommodation was adding further pressure to a system that was already under strain.

He also said local residents should not feel as though they were being pushed further back in the queue because of government housing policies.

Documents from the City of Edinburgh Council have also raised concerns about the effect of changes to asylum and housing policies on the city’s homelessness situation.

In 2022, Nicola Sturgeon removed a requirement for council homes in Scotland to be allocated mainly to people with a “local connection” to the area.

Critics have since argued that the change has contributed to pressure on Edinburgh’s housing system. They have also claimed that it could make Scotland more attractive to asylum seekers who receive permission to remain in the UK and then need help finding accommodation.

An internal risk assessment by the City of Edinburgh Council warned that changes to asylum policies could lead to an increase in the number of people presenting as homeless in the city.

The document listed asylum policies introduced by both the UK and Scottish Governments as one of the risks that could place additional pressure on Edinburgh’s homelessness services.

With demand continuing to rise, council officials are now considering further measures to control the pressure on available housing. Some council housing allocations could be paused, while newly built properties could potentially be changed into temporary accommodation.

The council has defended its approach, saying it continues to monitor why different households need temporary accommodation and that not every case of homelessness can be prevented.

A council spokesman said households who receive a positive asylum decision, as well as people with a local connection elsewhere in Scotland, are treated as cases where the council has little opportunity to prevent homelessness before they need support.

The council said it monitors these groups separately from cases where there may be more opportunities to prevent homelessness, such as people losing their tenancy or problems caused by relationship breakdowns.

The authority said this approach helps it understand the pressure being placed on temporary accommodation and identify areas where it can take action to prevent people from becoming homeless.

Despite the growing pressure, the council said it was making progress with its emergency plan and remained focused on improving housing provision across Edinburgh.