UK Halves Asylum Seekers in Hotels to 16,000 as Asylum Claims Drop 20%
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 27
UK Halves Asylum Seekers in Hotels to 16,000 as Asylum Claims Drop 20%
2 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 27
Summary
More than 16,000 asylum seekers were housed in UK hotels in June 2026, down from over 32,000 a year earlier as the Home Office accelerated case decisions.
The initial-decision backlog fell to 40,000 from a June 2023 peak of 175,000, supporting Prime Minister Keir Starmer's July 2024 pledge to end hotel use within five years.
Asylum demand also eased: 86,000 people sought asylum in the year to June, down a fifth, while 38,000 illegal arrivals were detected and 33,000 came by small boat.
Home Office-funded housing outside hotels still rose to 69,000 from 65,000 at end-2024, drawing opposition criticism that migrants were being moved into flats instead.
Across wider migration flows, work visas fell 18% to 235,000, student arrivals dropped 11% to 383,000, and removals rose 8% to 40,000 in the year to June 2026.