UK asylum claims hit highest degree since 1979

The variety of individuals claiming asylum within the UK in 2024 has reached its highest degree since data started in 1979, Residence Workplace figures present.

In accordance with knowledge printed on Thursday, 108,138 individuals claimed asylum within the 12 months to December 2024 – a rise of 18% on 2023 and virtually twice the quantity in 2021.

The Residence Workplace mentioned the earlier recorded peak was in 2002.

The brand new excessive follows an uptick in recorded small boat arrivals in recent times. The variety of small boat arrivals additionally elevated in 2024 – 25% larger than in 2023 – however the determine was 20% decrease than in 2022.

The UK now receives the fifth largest variety of asylum seekers within the “EU plus” space at a time when the federal government is below strain to chop the asylum choice backlog.

These figures, which cowl the tip of the Conservative authorities and the beginning of Labour, present the variety of asylum instances awaiting an preliminary choice fell by 5% final 12 months – with greater than 90,600 instances, referring to round 124,800 individuals, pending a call as of the tip of 2024.

The quantity stays larger than earlier than 2022.

The UK additionally despatched extra individuals into immigration detention final 12 months, with that determine rising by 12%.

In the meantime, the UK returned 2,251 individuals to a different nation who had arrived by small boat final 12 months, a ten% enhance in comparison with 2023.

There has additionally been a pointy enhance in individuals granted citizenship – with the determine standing at greater than 269,600 in 2024.

The prime minister’s deputy official spokesman mentioned there have been “no fast fixes” to the “international” drawback of unlawful migration, however the authorities had a “critical long-term plan to revive order to the asylum system”.

Border Safety and Asylum minister Angela Eagle criticised the earlier authorities for a “damaged asylum system”, saying Labour inherited a “large backlog” of claims.

“We’re starting to get some order to the system however it’s going to take time to make sure that we are able to get a grip and begin making the system work once more.”

Requested why claims are so excessive, Eagle mentioned “many individuals wish to come right here”, additional referring to these approaching work and scholar visas after which claiming asylum.

She underlined “we’ve to be a lot harder” coping with visa overstayers.

Shadow dwelling secretary Chris Philp described the figures as “no shock,” saying there was “no deterrent”.

Philp added that the blame for the numbers “lies firmly at Labour’s toes, who’ve been gradual to behave to deal with the disaster unfolding on our border”.

The British Pink Cross’s coverage, analysis and advocacy director Mubeen Bhutta referred to as for the federal government to create “extra protected routes” to stop individuals taking harmful journeys to the UK.

“Behind as we speak’s numbers are actual males, ladies and kids who’ve been compelled to flee their houses. Too many are making perilous journeys to seek out security, as a result of they haven’t any different possibility,” Bhutta mentioned in an announcement.

“For the overwhelming majority of individuals, there is no such thing as a technique to declare asylum within the UK with out already being right here.”

New steering issued for visa and immigration workers earlier this month set out that anybody coming into the UK illegally having made a harmful journey to take action, together with these already right here, will usually be refused citizenship.

The measure was criticised by the Refugee Council in addition to some Labour MPs.

The Refugee Council mentioned on Thursday it was “inspired” the federal government continued to work on the “damaged asylum system” throughout its first six months in energy.

Nonetheless, it referred to as for additional efforts to chop the backlog of asylum functions to keep away from individuals “caught in inns, trapped in limbo and unable to work”.

The federal government’s use of inns to accommodate asylum seekers has continued to rise, with greater than 38,000 in inns on the finish of December. That determine was nonetheless decrease than the height of 56,000 hit in September 2023.

The federal government has pledged to cease this observe by the tip of the parliament.

The federal government is legally obliged to offer lodging to asylum seekers who can’t afford to assist themselves whereas their claims are being thought of. However the variety of individuals searching for asylum within the UK has hit report ranges, resulting in a scarcity of areas in present lodging.

Whereas irregular arrivals rose final 12 months, the variety of work and examine visas – which account for a majority of arrivals, not together with guests and transit, examined by the Residence Workplace – dropped.

The earlier Conservative authorities launched measures to scale back authorized migration with modifications to visa processes – together with a rise to the minimal wage for a UK expert employee visa.

The Conservatives additionally banned well being and social care employees and most worldwide college students from bringing household to the UK.

The variety of individuals coming to the UK on work visas final 12 months fell by about 250,000.

This was virtually evenly cut up between fewer individuals coming for work (down by greater than 125,000) and fewer members of the family coming with them (down by almost 120,000).

Each falls had been largely pushed by traits within the well being and care employee route.

The earlier authorities launched a particular visa to deliver individuals into the sector. This led to large rises in visas issued – particularly since individuals coming to work in care are likely to deliver extra household with them than individuals approaching different work visas.

However Rishi Sunak’s authorities tightened the principles late in 2023, resulting in falls in individuals approaching this visa all through final 12 months.

In September 2024, the present Labour authorities introduced additional measures together with stronger guidelines round visa sponsorship of migrant employees.

A White Paper is because of be printed this 12 months setting out a plan to scale back authorized migration.

Dr Ben Brindle, researcher on the Migration Observatory on the College of Oxford, referred to a “increase and bust” in some visa classes over latest years.

“The massive declines in visa grants have been doable primarily as a result of the variety of visas beforehand being issued within the post-Brexit immigration system was so excessive,” he mentioned.

“Regardless of the declines, general visa grants to non-EU residents stay nicely above pre-Brexit ranges.”