There were 84,231 asylum applications (relating to 108,131 people) in the UK in 2024, a 16% increase from 2023.

In 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 17th highest in Europe.

There were 36,816 people detected arriving by small boats in 2024. This was an increase of 25% compared to the previous year.

695 small boats were detected arriving in the UK that time, compared with 602 between the year before.

There was an average of 53 people per small boat in 2024, compared with 48.9 people per small boat in 2022.

In 2024, six in 10 of small boat arrivals were from just five nationalities – Afghan (17%), Syrian (13%), Iranian (12%), Vietnamese (11%) and Eritrean (10%).

Since January 2022, 95% of those who crossed the channel claimed asylum in the UK, and a third are still waiting for a decision. Of those who did receive a decision, 30,342 (65%) were grants of protection.

47% of initial decisions made in 2024 were grants of protection, meaning they have been awarded refugee status or humanitarian protection. A total of 39,616 people were granted protection in 2024 as a result of an asylum claim, a 37% decrease from the previous year when 63,008 people were granted.

The proportion of asylum appeals allowed in 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 2024 there were 36,552 asylum appeals lodged at the first-tier tribunal—71% higher than in 2023. The number of appeals outstanding has also increased substantially, from 7,113 at the start of 2023 to 41,987 at the end of 2024.

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 2024 there were 124,802 people waiting for an initial decision on their asylum application. Nearly one third had been waiting for more than a year. This is decrease from 133,409 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 2024, the new government passed regulations to amend the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and allow claims to be processed again. As a result, in the last three months of 2024 over 31,000 decisions were made.

At the end of 2024, 112,187 people seeking asylum were being supported by the Government.*

Of those, 38,079 (34%) were living in hotels, an increase of 7% from 35,651 at the end of September 2024 and down 32% from the peak of 56,042 at the end of September 2023. 104,931 people received Section 95 support and 4,067 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 20,604 people detained in immigration removal centres during 2024; among them were 7,332 people seeking asylum.

Despite a government promise in 2010 to end the practice of detaining children, there were 8 occurrences of children entering immigration detention in 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 2024, there were 4,104 applications from unaccompanied children, 16% fewer than the previous year; accounting for 5% of total asylum applications.

Of the children whose claims were decided in 2024, 72% were granted asylum.

A further 116 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, juust 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 assistane 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 2,834 people granted protection through resettlement schemes in 2024. This is double the number who arrived in 2023..

678 people (24% of all those resettled) were resettled through the UK Resettlement scheme (UKRS), with most of the remainder through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship schemes, or the Mandate Protection Programme.

190 people were resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

33 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 (2,115), Syrian (411), and Somali (158).

A further 4,891 people came to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

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 2024, 19,710 family reunion visas were issued to partners and children of those granted asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK, more than double the previous year (9,320). The rise is largely due to the Home Office speeding up family reunion decisions, as well as an increase in applications following the work to clear the asylum backlog in 2023.

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.