There were 77,066 asylum applications (relating to 99,790 people) in the UK in the year ending September 2024, a 1% increase from the previous 12 months.  

In the year ending September 2024, the top five countries of origin of people seeking asylum were Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Bangladesh and Syria. 

In terms of the number of asylum applications per head of population, the UK ranks 19th highest in Europe. 

There were 29,851 people detected arriving by small boats between October 2023 and September 2024. This was a decrease of 21% compared to the previous year. 

575 small boats were detected arriving in the UK that time, compared with 787 between the year before. 

There was an average of 52 people per small boat in the year to September 2024, compared with 47.7 people per small boat in 2022. 

In the year to September 2024, six in 10 of small boat arrivals were from just five nationalities – Afghan (16%), Iranian (13%), Vietnamese (11%), Syrian (11%) and Eritrean (7%)  

Since January 2022, 95% of those who crossed the channel claimed asylum in the UK, but only 44% of people had received a decision. Of those who did receive a decision, 22,423  (70%) were grants of protection.

52% of initial decisions made in the year to September 2024 have been grants of protection, meaning they have been awarded refugee status or humanitarian protection. A total of 52,739 people were granted protection in the year ending September 2024 as a result of an asylum claim, a 34% increase from the previous year when 39,232 people were granted.  

The proportion of asylum appeals allowed in the year to June 2024 was 48% (almost unchanged from the previous year). The appeal success rate has been steadily increasing over the last decade (up from 29% in 2010). 

The quality of decision-making is often poor, with many refugees having to rely on the courts to award protection following an appeal of the Government’s initial decision. The appeals process can be complex and lengthy, with people seeking asylum having to wait months for their appeals to be heard. 

The increase in asylum decisions over the last year has led to a sharp rise in the number of asylum appeals being lodged. In the twelve months to June 2024 there were 36,394 asylum appeals lodged at the first-tier tribunal—more than four times as many appeals as during the previous 12 months. The number of appeals outstanding has also increased substantially, from 7,601 at the end of June 2023 to 33,227 a year later. 

Thousands of people have to wait years for a final decision on their claim, meaning they are left in limbo and unable to plan for their futures.  

At the end of September 2024 there were 133,409 people waiting for an initial decision on their asylum application. Nearly two-thirds had been waiting for more than a year. This is an increase from 118,882 people who were waiting at the end of June. 

The previous government also passed the Illegal Migration Act 2023, which had the impact of slowing decision making almost to a halt. In May and June 2024 there were only 3,365 and 2,990 initial decisions and 1,625 and 1,150 substantive interviews held respectively.  

In July, the new government passed regulations to amend the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and allow claims to be processed again. As a result, in August there were 10,327 interviews and  a further 11,540 in September. There were 7,604 initial decisions made in September. 

At the end of September 2024, 109,024 people seeking asylum were being supported by the Government.* 

Of those, 35,651 (33%) were living in hotels, an increase of 21% from 29,585 at the end of June 2024 and down 36% from the peak of 56,042 at the end of September 2023. 102,692 people received Section 95 support and 4,013 people received Section 4 support. 

People seeking asylum are banned from working and are provided with a £7 per day from the Government to cover the costs of their basic necessities. Could you live on just £7 per day? 

* This includes people supported under Section 95, Section 4 and Section 98 of the Immigration Act 1999. 

The UK Government has the power to detain people who are here seeking refuge. Sometimes, this even includes children. There is no maximum time limit in place for people held in detention, meaning people are held indefinitely. 

The latest statistics show that there were 19,335 people detained in immigration removal centres during the twelve months to September 2024; among them were 7,354 people seeking asylum.  

Despite a government promise in 2010 to end the practice of detaining children, there were 10 occurrences of children entering immigration detention in the year to September 2024.  

It is not just adults and families who come to the UK in search of safety; unaccompanied children, some as young as under 14 years old, also seek protection in the UK. 

In the last 12 months, there were 4,017 applications from unaccompanied children, 30% fewer than the previous year; accounting for 5% of total asylum applications. 

Of the children whose claims were decided in the year to September 2024, 74% were granted asylum. 

A further 101 unaccompanied children were granted short-term leave to remain, which expires after 2.5 years, leaving them uncertain and anxious about their futures. 

The top country of origin for applications from unaccompanied children in the last 12 months was Sudan. 

The moment someone receives a positive decision on their asylum claim should be one of celebration and relief, an end to instability, and the start of a bright future where they are able to establish new lives in the UK.

Instead, many newly-recognised refugees experience homelessness and/or destitution, right at this point. 

This is because when refugees receive a positive decision on their asylum claim, just 28 days later they have to leave their Home Office accommodation and their financial support stops. 

Faced with a cliff edge and no support to find new housing, open a bank account, and secure income, among other activities needed before being evicted, many refugees are at significant risk of homelessness and/or destitution.  

Statistics from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show that homelessness among those leaving asylum accommodation has risen sharply. In the year to September 2024, 21,650 households in England received homelessness assistance for a local authority after leaving asylum accommodation. This in increase of 250% on the year before. 

Resettlement only supports a fraction of those in need. 

Just 1% of the world’s refugees will ever be resettled anywhere, which means many refugees face a long, uncertain wait to hear if they will ever be able to rebuild their lives in safety. 

Currently, the numbers that the UK resettles each year are still much lower than in the previous years.  

There were 9,554 people granted protection through resettlement schemes in the year ending September 2024. This is more than five times more than the previous year. 

435 people (4% of all those resettled) were resettled through the UK Resettlement scheme (UKRS), with most of the remainder resettled Pathway 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship schemes, and a handful through the Mandate Protection Programme. 

1,155 people were resettled under Pathway 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme making up 12% of all refugees resettled. This is a significant increase from the year before, where only 66 people were resettled under ACRS Pathway 2 

48 people were resettled under the Community Sponsorship scheme. 

23 people were resettled under the Mandate Protection Programme 

The most common nationalities of those resettled were Afghan (68%), Syrian (14%), and Somali (9%). 

War and persecution often divide refugees from their families, but there are few straightforward, legal ways for refugees to join loved ones in Britain safely. 

One of the few safe and regular routes for refugees to join their loved ones in the UK is via refugee family reunion visas. In the year ending September 2024, 19,154 family reunion visas were issued to partners and children of those granted asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK, more than a three-fold increase compared to the previous year. 

While the increase in visas granted is welcome, the Family Reunion rules are incredibly restrictive. Only spouses and dependent children are eligible to apply for family reunion visas. People who have been granted protection in the UK may be alone, distraught, and worried about the safety of their families, who may still be in danger. Even unaccompanied children are not allowed to apply for their parents to join them in the UK. 

That is why we are campaigning to bring #FamiliesTogether.