Nearly 42,000 asylum seekers are currently awaiting appeal hearings in the UK after their initial applications were denied by the Home Office, a significant rise from two years ago, revealed by the Refugee Council’s analysis of official data.
This surge represents a fivefold increase and highlights a potential shift in the asylum crisis from initial assessments to the appeals process, with nearly 40,000 migrants still accommodated in hotels.
The Home Office has responded by stating it has managed to double the rate of initial decisions on asylum claims and has allocated additional funding to increase the number of court sitting days.
A spokesperson emphasised the government’s commitment to phasing out the costly use of hotels for asylum seekers.
The increase in rejections is attributed to recent changes in legislation by the previous Conservative government, which have tightened the criteria for proving legitimate refugee status.
Following the enactment of the Nationality and Borders Act, the approval rate for Afghan asylum seekers plummeted to 40% in the latter half of last year from nearly universal approval in previous periods.
Afghans, who are the predominant nationality among those housed in hotels and arriving via small boats over the past two years, are likely to be a major group contesting their rejections.
Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, has advocated for more accurate and just initial decision-making processes to ensure refugees can integrate into communities effectively while those not qualifying for asylum can be respectfully repatriated.
The ongoing backlog in appeals necessitates continued costly accommodation, with the charity warning that hotel expenses could potentially reach £1.5 billion this year if the situation does not improve.
The government claims that reforms to the asylum system are urgently needed to address inefficiencies and anticipate a saving of approximately £4 billion over the next two years through streamlined asylum processing.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of appeals pending in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber escalated dramatically to 41,987 by the end of 2024, up from 7,173 at the beginning of 2023.
This backlog reflects a 71% increase in asylum application appeals filed last year compared to 2023, underscoring the growing pressures on the UK’s asylum system.
