The perception that new immigrants and migrants are unfairly advantaged in the allocation of social housing and are gaining access to the sector in large numbers at the expense of British citizens has emerged as one of the most frequently cited injustices of new immigration in Britain. This paper contends that this story-line has sounded right to so many people because it taps into dominant notions of the immigrant as folk devil and a long tradition of scapegoating blameworthy groups for the

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... blems that 'more deserving' groups encounter accessing social housing. Debate around the issue of immigration and social housing is revealed to have all the hallmarks of a moral panic, with exaggeration and distortion raising public concern to a level disproportionate to any clear, apparent or rational threat. This point is reinforced by a review of available evidence regarding the eligibility of new immigrants and migrants to an allocation of social housing and their experiences within the social housing allocation process.