Nearly 42,000 asylum seekers are awaiting appeal hearings after seeing their bid to remain in Britain rejected. Figures reveal a surge in the number of failed asylum seekers appealing against their rejections has left the system struggling to cope. Official statistics show a 485% rise in the number of asylum appeals waiting to be processed in UK courts over the last two years, bringing the total to 41,987. In the past three months alone, 12,183 appeals were lodged by people who had their asylum claims rejected, following steps taken by the Labour Government to restart decision-making when they arrived in office.
The Refugee Council said: “This backlog built up as a result of the near-collapse of decision-making under the previous Government, as it focused its approach on the Rwanda scheme.”
Its analysis revealed that the Home Office accommodated 38,079 people in hotels at the end of 2024. The Refugee Council estimates that if those numbers were to remain the same throughout 2025, the annual cost could reach “nearly £1.5billion.”
The Refugee Council believes more claims are being refused due to legislation introduced by the previous Government, making it harder for refugees to accept their asylum claims.
There has been a significant reduction in the number of asylum claims from Afghans that were granted.
According to the charity, the Home Office had previously accepted nearly all Afghan claims, compared to only four in 10 at the end of 2024.
Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, said: “We welcome the Government’s continued attempt to remedy a broken asylum system, but more needs to be done to ensure right, first-time decision-making, so a new growing backlog is not created in a different part of the system.
“Resolving asylum cases well will help reduce costs and the number of people trapped in limbo, stuck in hotels, unable to work or move on with their lives.
“Right, first-time decision-making will ensure refugees are given safety to go on to contribute to communities across the country and those who don’t have a right to stay in the UK are removed with dignity and respect.”
A Government spokesperson said: “The asylum system we inherited was not fit for purpose, which is why we are taking urgent action to restart asylum processing and clear the backlog of cases, which will save the taxpayer an estimated £4bn over the next two years.”
News of the appeals backlog comes as the Government considers cracking down on the use of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to block deportations of illegal migrants.
Article 8 of the ECHR, guaranteeing the right to family life, has been cited in several cases where illegal migrants – including foreign criminals – have won the right to remain in the UK.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is reviewing how Article 8 is being applied in immigration courts to make sure the law is being interpreted in a “sensible” way.
