Asylum hotel stays halve as UK asylum backlog and arrivals fall

The number of people housed in hotels while awaiting Home Office asylum decisions has fallen from over 32,000 in June 2025 to more than 16,000 by June this year, the Home Office said, with asylum claims, legal migration arrivals and small boat crossings also down year‑on‑year.

Officials reported 38,000 illegal arrivals in the year to June, including 33,000 detected on small boats across the Channel from France, while more recent figures show small boat numbers remaining lower than the previous year.

Some 86,000 people sought asylum in the year to June, a 20% decrease on the prior year, and about half of applications came from people already legally in the UK rather than from small boat arrivals.

The rise in hotel use had coincided with increased Channel crossings from 2019 and slower Home Office case decisions. The government set a target in July 2024 to end hotel use within five years and ordered faster processing of claims.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the asylum backlog is down, the number in hotels is falling, illegal working arrests are at record levels, and removals and returns have increased, while cautioning there is more to do on small boats.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised Labour’s accommodation moves and reiterated a tougher removal stance, saying the clearest way to empty hotel accommodation was to make it plain that those who cross the Channel do not get to stay.

The total number of people in Home Office‑funded houses rose from 65,000 at the end of 2024 to 69,000 in June, under a long‑standing contract with private providers.

The count of asylum claimants awaiting an initial decision was 40,000, down from a peak of 175,000 in June 2023. In the year to June 2026, around 40,000 people found not to have a right to remain were removed, an 8% rise on the year before; officials said about a third of removals were failed asylum seekers, the highest number in 16 years.

Work visas totalled 235,000 in the year to June 2026, an 18% fall on the prior year and 62% below the December 2023 peak linked to earlier policy changes. The specialist health and care worker route saw arrivals fall by 90% following progressive tightening.

Student visas numbered 383,000 in the year to June 2026, down 11% year‑on‑year and 41% since the June 2023 peak. Family reunion visas dropped to 58,000 in the year to June 2026, a 19% fall on the previous 12 months, driven largely by stricter rules on bringing refugee family members.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The data show a marked reduction in hotel use for asylum accommodation alongside falls in asylum applications, small boat arrivals and several visa categories, with official statements attributing improvements to policy and operational changes while highlighting ongoing challenges in removals and Channel crossings.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• Hotel placements for asylum seekers dropped from over 32,000 to more than 16,000 between June 2025 and June this year.
• Some 86,000 people sought asylum in the year to June, a 20% decrease on the previous year.
• There were 38,000 detected illegal arrivals in the year to June, including 33,000 on small boats across the Channel.