Home Office Slams Record 80,000 Asylum Claims as Most Get Rejected
The Home Office dealt a blow to over 80,000 asylum seekers last year, rejecting a massive 75% more claims than in 2024. The grant rate also crashed from 47% to just 42%, even though nearly 55,000 migrants were given refugee status or permission to stay in the UK.
Oxford expert Dr Peter Walsh warned: “Refused applications will inevitably lead to tens of thousands more appeals, adding significant pressure to the already very stretched tribunals system.”
Who’s Actually Getting Asylum?
- Eritreans lead the pack with nearly 8,700 successful claims
- Followed closely by 7,000 Sudanese and 6,900 Iranians
Note: These numbers reflect initial approvals, not later court successes.
Illegal Arrivals Spike Despite Tougher Rules
Illegal border crossings soared in 2025, with 46,497 arrivals – up 7% from the year before.
- 41,472 crossed the Channel by small boat, a 13% increase
- Others snuck in via lorries and ‘clandestine’ routes
- Small boat landings remain below the 2022 high of 45,772
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp slammed Labour’s handling: “Labour are moving illegal immigrants from asylum hotels to residential housing. There are far fewer checks and safeguards in dispersal accommodation which allows illegal immigrants to work illegally, commit more crime, and disappear into your community.”
Costs Cut But Migrant Challenges Stay High
Government spending on migrant support fell 5% to 107,003 people – still down 14% from the 2023 peak.
- Asylum seekers in hotels dropped nearly 20% to 31,000
- Other accommodation saw a slight rise
Home Office minister Alex Norris said: “Our actions to end costly use of taxpayer-funded hotels have cut overall asylum costs by 12%. The asylum hotel population has dropped 45% since the previous government’s peak.”
Deportations Soar to Record Levels
- Enforced deportations jumped 21% to 9,914
- Voluntary removals climbed 5% to over 28,000, including a record 2,550 small boat migrants since 2018
- Six in ten small boat removals were Albanian nationals
- Total asylum returns soared 23% to 11,631
- Foreign national criminal removals rose 11% to 5,634
Philp blasted Labour’s record: “Keir Starmer has overseen record Channel crossings and Labour have removed just 6% of small boat arrivals.”
Dr Walsh added: “Hotel accommodation is expensive and no good long term. The government has struggled to expand alternatives like military sites or shared housing.”
Norris promised: “We’re shifting people out of hotels to ex-military sites and other accommodations. Plus, we’re cracking down to reduce pull factors and boost removals.”
