Asylum backlog falls to lowest level in more than five years

The backlog of people waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application in the UK has dropped sharply to its lowest level in more than five years.

The number of new asylum claims has also fallen from its recent record high, though the total remains more than double the levels seen in the last decade.

The data has been published by the Home Office, which said the figures “show real progress as we restore order and control to our borders”.

Some 64,426 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application at the end of December 2025.

This is down 20% from 80,841 at the end of September 2025, and a drop of nearly half (48%) from 124,802 a year earlier at the end of December 2024.

The asylum backlog peaked at 175,457 at the end of June 2023.

The latest figure of 64,426 is the lowest since 60,548 at the end of September 2020.

The number of people waiting more than 12 months for an initial decision on their asylum claim stood at 22,275 at the end of last year, down from 45,094 at the end of 2024 and well below the recent peak of 91,741 in June 2023.

Overall asylum applications fell 4% year on year in 2025 to 100,625, down from 104,764 in 2024.

It is the third highest figure for a calendar year since current records began in 2001 and is more than double the number of claims in 2019 (45,537).

Migrants who arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in small boats accounted for 41% of the total number of people claiming asylum last year, or 41,262.

A further 11% (11,190) entered through other illegal routes, such as in lorries, shipping containers or without relevant documentation.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have removed nearly 60,000 illegal migrants, numbers in asylum hotels are down, law enforcement action against people smugglers is at record levels and we are bearing down on the asylum backlog.

“But we must go further. The number of people crossing the Channel is too high, and too many hotels remain in use.

“That is why the Home Secretary is introducing sweeping reforms to tackle the pull factors drawing illegal migrants to Britain, and we are ramping up removals of those with no right to be here.”