- About 42,000 asylum seekers are waiting for appeals
- More rejections, especially for Afghans
- Housing migrants could cost £1.5 billion this year
Nearly 42,000 asylum seekers are waiting for an appeal hearing after their initial claims were rejected by the Home Office, according to an analysis of official data.
The Refugee Council highlighted that this marks a five-fold increase in just two years, warning that the government risks shifting the asylum crisis from one area of the system to another, with almost 40,000 migrants still residing in hotels.
In response, the Home Office stated that it has doubled the number of asylum seekers receiving an initial decision on their claims and allocated additional funding for more court sitting days.
A spokesperson for the government emphasized that it is determined to phase out the use of asylum hotels and reduce the “unacceptably high” costs of accommodation.
The Refugee Council attributed the rising number of asylum claim rejections to legislation introduced by the previous Conservative government, which has made it more difficult for individuals to prove their refugee status.
Following the introduction of the Nationality and Borders Act, only 40% of Afghan asylum seekers were granted permission to stay in the second half of last year, compared to nearly all Afghan applicants receiving asylum prior to the law’s enactment.
Many of those rejected are expected to appeal, with Afghans currently making up the largest nationality group housed in hotels and arriving in the UK by small boats over the past two years.
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, has called for more fair and accurate decision-making.
“Getting decisions right the first time will ensure refugees are able to live safely and contribute to communities across the country, while those who do not have a right to stay are removed with dignity and respect,” he stated.
The charity also pointed out that those in the appeals backlog still require accommodation and warned that, without significant improvements, the cost of housing them in hotels could reach £1.5 billion this year.
A government spokesperson responded, saying: “The asylum system we inherited was not fit for purpose, which is why we are taking urgent steps to restart asylum processing and reduce the backlog of cases, which will save taxpayers an estimated £4 billion over the next two years.”
The Home Office is also allocating funding for “thousands more sitting days in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber to speed up asylum claims and increase efficiency.”
Ministry of Justice statistics reveal that by the end of 2024, there were 41,987 asylum appeals in the court backlog, a sharp rise from 7,173 at the beginning of 2023.
The Refugee Council’s analysis indicates that the number of asylum appeals filed in 2024 was 71% higher than the previous year.
