Responding to immigration and asylum statistics released on 27th February 2025,  Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, said:

We are living in an increasingly unstable world, where many men, women and children have no choice but to leave their homes to seek safety.  We are encouraged to see that in their first six months the new government has continued to work to remedy a broken asylum system with nearly 9,000 more interviews taking place each month and more than three times as many decisions made on asylum applications each month than at the time of the election.

However, now more than ever it is vital that the new government continue to cut the backlog of 97,170 asylum applications resulting in 38,079 people still stuck in hotels, trapped in limbo and unable to work.  The use of hotels in communities across the country has become a damaging symbol of government failure and a flashpoint for community tensions. Billions are being wasted on appallingly run contracts with private companies that cream off vast profits. There needs to be a serious plan quickly set out by Government to trigger the contract break clauses due next year and radically reform the system.

We are also concerned to see that over 7,000 Syrians are still stuck on pause waiting for a decision about their asylum applications. This is not only distressing for those affected, but also costly . We recognise the government still needs to determine the future situation in Syria, but it is in everybody’s best interest to find a faster way to move forward.

Fair and right first-time asylum decisions remain the fastest way to cut costs in the system . Processing asylum applications accurately and efficiently means the Government can quickly decide who has a right to stay in the UK, and who does not. This means the Government can then return people without the right to stay in the UK with dignity and respect, while supporting those who do have the right to stay into the UK to integrate into our communities, get into work, and contribute to Britain.

 

Notes:

Between October and December 2024, the Home Office carried out 26,510 interviews and made 31,485 initial decisions. In June 2024, the Home Office carried out only 1,159 interviews and made 3,060 initial decisions.