Key facts
- The number of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen from over 32,000 in June 2025 to over 16,000 in June this year.
- Asylum claims decreased by a fifth, with 86,000 applications in the year to June.
- Approximately 38,000 illegal arrivals were detected in the year to June, with 33,000 arriving on small boats.
- The number of foreign offenders, visa overstayers, and failed asylum applicants removed from the UK increased by 8% to 40,000 in the year to June 2026.
- Work visa grants fell by 18% in the year to June 2026, with a 90% drop in health and care worker visas.
The number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels in the UK has significantly decreased over the past year, with figures dropping from over 32,000 in June 2025 to over 16,000 in June this year. This reduction is part of a broader trend showing a decline in legal migration, asylum claims, and small boat arrivals compared to the previous year.
Asylum claims have fallen by a fifth, totaling 86,000 in the year to June. Approximately half of these claims were made by individuals already legally in the UK. The rise in hotel usage had previously coincided with an increase in English Channel crossings from 2019 and a slowdown in Home Office decision-making.
The current Starmer government, in July 2024, prioritized faster decision-making on asylum claims with a goal to end hotel usage within five years. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that the asylum backlog is down, hotel occupancy is falling, and deportations and returns are up. However, she acknowledged that more needs to be done regarding small boat crossings.
Opposition figures, including Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, criticized the government's approach, while Reform UK's Zia Yusuf called for a halt to illegal boats and the deportation of all illegal immigrants. The number of people housed in Home Office-provided houses has increased to 69,000. The backlog of asylum cases awaiting an initial ruling has also decreased substantially from a peak of 175,000 in June 2023.
In the year to June 2026, 40,000 individuals deemed not to have a reason to be in the UK, including foreign offenders and visa overstayers, were removed, an 8% increase. Work visa grants have seen a significant decline, down 18% year-on-year, with a particularly sharp 90% drop in health and care worker visas following rule tightening. Foreign student arrivals also decreased by 11%. New rules have also made it exceptionally difficult for refugee families to reunite in the UK, leading to a 19% decrease in family visas.