New Home Office data reveals a record 111,000 asylum applications were lodged in the UK during the year ending in June. Despite this surge, the government reports increased processing efficiency.
This figure represents a 14% increase compared to the previous year, surpassing the previous peak of 103,000 applications recorded in 2002.
However, officials are reportedly processing cases at a faster rate than before the general election. This accelerated pace could potentially lead to a reduction in the number of individuals requiring housing support in the long term.
The latest data, encompassing Labour’s initial year in office, arrives amidst growing public and political scrutiny surrounding immigration policies.
The figures also indicate that 71,000 cases, involving 91,000 individuals, are currently awaiting an initial decision. The discrepancy between case numbers and individual numbers arises because a single case may encompass the primary claimant’s family members.
The backlog has been significantly reduced from its peak of 134,000 cases at the end of June 2023, marking a substantial improvement.
This translates to 18,536 fewer individuals awaiting a decision compared to March of this year.
The number of asylum seekers accommodated in hotels has experienced a slight increase, reaching 32,059. While this figure is higher than when Labour assumed power, it remains significantly below the peak of 56,000 recorded in September 2023 under the Conservative administration.
Labour has pledged to address the backlog by 2029, committing to reduce Channel crossings and establish new government-operated accommodation facilities.
Ministers aim to phase out the use of hotels as accommodation in the long run. However, achieving this goal hinges on the speed at which individuals without a legitimate claim to remain in the UK can be removed.
Asylum seekers who lack the financial means to support themselves are provided with housing while their claims and appeals are processed.
In the year ending June 2025, the Home Office enforced the removal of 9,100 individuals, representing a 25% increase compared to the preceding year.
More than half of those removed were foreign national offenders being deported upon completion of their sentences.
In a related development, the High Court ruled on Tuesday that a hotel in Epping, Essex, must cease housing asylum seekers following a legal challenge initiated by the local council.
Other councils across the country, including some under Labour control, are reportedly considering similar legal actions.
Among those caught in the asylum claim backlog is Daastan, who requested anonymity.
The 26-year-old fled Afghanistan in 2023, fearing for his safety after his father and brother became targets of the Taliban.
Upon arriving in the UK, he applied for asylum and was placed in a hotel room in Yorkshire by the Home Office, where he has resided ever since.
“You escape one problem and now you’re in another problem,” he told the BBC.
His claim was initially rejected after approximately one year, and he is currently awaiting the outcome of an appeal.
He receives three meals daily and is permitted to leave for walks after signing out with a guard. He spends most of his time in silence, as his roommate does not speak English.
On one occasion, he witnessed guards and police surrounding the hotel and preventing protestors from approaching.
“All we asylum seekers wanted was a shelter so the government put us in a hotel. That wasn’t our choice,” he said. “We haven’t done anything.”
Similarly, Godgive, who also requested anonymity, shared with the BBC her feelings of being “left behind” and “stuck” within the asylum system.
She has been separated from her six-year-old son since fleeing violence in Cameroon three years ago.
While awaiting the outcome of her claim, she resides in a shared house with other asylum seekers, provided by the Home Office in the north-east of England.
A house manager regularly inspects her bedroom, ensuring she does not possess any prohibited items, such as a television, affording her little privacy.
Godgive confessed to contemplating suicide at one point: “I needed to stop living. It was too much.”
Unable to work or study, she expressed her desire to volunteer or acquire new skills – anything that would provide her with purpose and a means to contribute.
“I don’t know where to go and I don’t know when it’s going to change.”
Government expenditure on asylum in the UK has decreased by 12%, according to the new figures.
The total expenditure amounted to £4.76bn in the year ending March 2025, down from £5.38bn in the previous year.
This figure encompasses Home Office costs associated with asylum, including direct cash support and accommodation, but excludes expenses related to intercepting migrants crossing the Channel.
Specific costs for hotel accommodations were not disclosed in the latest data. However, Home Office figures released in July revealed that £2.1bn was spent on hotel accommodation, down from £3bn the previous year.
Key data highlights for the year ending June 2025 include:
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that Labour has “strengthened Britain’s visa and immigration controls, cut asylum costs and sharply increased enforcement and returns.”
She attributed the situation to a “broken immigration and asylum system,” claiming that the previous Conservative government had left it in a state of “chaos.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp asserted that the government is “failing” and has “lost control of our borders.”
Liberal Democrat spokesperson Lisa Smart MP stated that the asylum backlog has been “far too large for far too long.”
“The Conservatives trashed our immigration system and let numbers spiral. Now this Labour government is failing to get a grip on the crisis,” she said.
If you are suffering distress or despair, details of help and support in the UK are available at BBC Action Line.
The DUP is requesting that Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council investigate whether hotels housing asylum seekers have the necessary planning permissions.
West Oxfordshire Conservatives have requested clarification regarding the Witney Four Pillars Hotel.
Newly released government figures indicate that 131 local authorities are housing asylum seekers in hotels.
Police report that approximately 150 individuals participated in two protests held outside the Fownes Hotel in Worcester.
Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to “smash the gangs” responsible for smuggling people across the English Channel.