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4h ago

Watchdog Finds UK Asylum Backlog Persists as Costs Soar, Appeals System Buckles

A National Audit Office report says most claims from early 2023 still lack final outcomes.

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The government’s own auditors found that the Home Office did not know how many asylum seekers had absconded
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Overview

  • The NAO found 56% of a 5,000-case cohort from January 2023 had no final outcome by September 2025, with 35% granted protection and 9% removed.
  • Of the unresolved cases, 1,369 were recorded as withdrawn, disqualified or suspended because the Home Office could not confirm outcomes or whereabouts.
  • The first-tier tribunal’s asylum caseload reached nearly 51,000 by May 2025, up 88% since March 2024, with judge shortages and limited legal aid prolonging waits.
  • The watchdog estimated about £4.9bn was spent on asylum in 2024/25, while pressures shifted from hotels to council homelessness services and cross-government costs remained unclear.
  • Ministers are pressing reforms to make refugee status temporary with 30-month reviews, extend settlement to 20 years and cap appeals at one, as the Home Office cites nearly 50,000 removals and a 63% rise in illegal working arrests.