The United Kingdom has received a record number of asylum applications over the past year, with new Home Office data showing that 111,000 people applied for protection in the 12 months to June. The figure marks a 14% rise compared to the previous year and surpasses the previous peak of 103,000 applications in 2002. Despite the surge, officials say that cases are being processed more quickly than before, suggesting that the overall number of people requiring government housing support could gradually decline.
The figures, which reflect Labour’s first year in office, come at a time when the government faces intensifying scrutiny over immigration policies. According to the Home Office, 71,000 asylum cases covering 91,000 individuals were awaiting an initial decision by the end of June. This backlog, while still significant, represents a sharp reduction from the record 134,000 cases pending a year earlier. The decline means 18,536 fewer people are waiting for decisions compared to March this year.
Housing asylum seekers remains one of the government’s biggest challenges. The number of people being accommodated in hotels has increased slightly to 32,059. While this figure is higher than when Labour assumed power, it is considerably lower than the peak of 56,000 recorded in September 2023 under the Conservative government. Labour has pledged to eliminate the backlog by 2029 and has also promised to reduce Channel crossings and expand government-run accommodation in order to phase out the costly and controversial use of hotels. Ministers acknowledge, however, that this will depend heavily on the ability to remove individuals who have no legal right to remain in the UK.
The Home Office reported that in the year ending June 2025, a total of 9,100 people were forcibly removed from the country, an increase of 25% compared to the previous year. More than half of those deported were foreign national offenders completing their prison sentences. Meanwhile, the legal landscape surrounding housing asylum seekers is becoming more complex. The High Court recently ordered that a hotel in Epping, Essex, cease hosting asylum seekers following a successful legal challenge by the local council. Other councils, including some under Labour control, are now exploring similar actions.
The nationalities of asylum applications also highlight shifting patterns in migration. The majority of asylum claims came from Pakistani nationals, many of whom had originally entered the UK legally on work or study visas before seeking asylum. By contrast, most of those arriving in small boats across the Channel were from Afghanistan. Among the backlog is the case of a 26-year-old Afghan man, identified only as Daastan, who fled the Taliban in 2023. After being housed in a hotel in Yorkshire, his initial claim was rejected and he now awaits the result of his appeal. He describes life in limbo as deeply isolating, with limited freedom of movement and daily dependence on state-provided meals. “All we asylum seekers wanted was a shelter, so the government put us in a hotel. That wasn’t our choice. We haven’t done anything,” he said.
As the government works to balance humanitarian obligations with public pressure for tighter controls, the new figures underline both the scale of demand for asylum and the progress being made in reducing the backlog.
