The number of asylum seekers waiting to appeal against the rejection of their claims has almost doubled in the last year, frustrating efforts to close migrant hotels.
More asylum claims are now stuck in the appeals backlog than are awaiting an an initial decision, Ministry of Justice figures show.
The backlog of asylum appeals reached 69,670 by September, up from 34,234 in September 2024. Because asylum claims can relate to a family or couple, this year’s figure involves an estimated 90,000 people.
A total of 62,171 claims relating to 80,841 people are awaiting an initial decision.
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Home Office sources said the mounting backlog had been caused by greater productivity among asylum case workers, who are processing claims faster.
There are, however, concerns over the quality of those decisions given that so many are going to appeal at immigration tribunals. One in four Home Office rejections of an initial claim is overturned at appeal. The Home Office is also withdrawing from 37 per cent of appeals before the case is heard because it cannot win or has insufficient legal representation.
About a third of the past year’s asylum claims were made by people who arrived on small boats
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL
Statistics show that each case takes 60 weeks, despite plans announced this year to introduce a mandatory 24-week legal deadline for the hearing of all asylum appeals.
Asylum seekers can claim free accommodation throughout the appeal process. Figures released last month showed the number of migrants in hotels has risen by nearly a quarter, to 36,273 in September, since Labour entered power. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged repeatedly to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers.
A record number of asylum claims — 110,051 — were made in the year to September. Of those, 39,262 people had crossed the Channel on small boats, 15 per cent more than this time last year. There have been no further crossings for almost a month, which the Home Office put down to unsuitable weather rather than measures such as the one-in, one-out deal with France, under which barely more than 150 people have been returned since its introduction in August.
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, has announced plans to streamline the asylum appeals system by limiting each claimant to one submission challenging the initial decision. A new independent appeals body overseen by the Home Office will replace the current system of judges sitting in immigration and asylum tribunals. This will give the Home Office control of listings and hearings.
Shabana Mahmood plans to streamline the appeals system
GETTY IMAGES
There is a separate backlog of 21,962 appeals on human rights grounds. These may involve people who have gained a family in Britain appealing under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which grants the right to a family life. About 200,000 individuals are in the UK on human rights grounds.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “The government may have brought down the backlog of initial asylum applications, but poor-quality decisions are pushing people straight into a new one.
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“Right now, more than 90,000 men, women and children — twice as many as last year — are stuck in limbo, unable to move on with their lives as they wait to appeal their decision. Many of these people are in expensive and unsuitable hotels.
“People deserve a quick and accurate decision the first time around. If the government focused on getting decisions right, they could reduce the number of refugees trapped in uncertainty after fleeing persecution and violence. And to clear the backlog and close asylum hotels next year, they should grant temporary protection — subject to rigorous security checks — to people from countries like Sudan and Afghanistan where ongoing conflicts mean they are almost certain to be recognised as refugees.”
The Home Office said: “The home secretary has announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times which will make Britain a less attractive destination for illegal migrants and will make it easier to remove and deport them.
“As part of this, we are reforming human rights laws and replacing the broken appeals system, bringing an end to unacceptable delays and repeat applications, with extra funding to maximise the number of appeals that can be heard in tribunals.
“These initiatives will more than halve appeal times, enabling swifter movement out of asylum hotels and removal of those with no right to be in the UK”.