Figures show asylum seekers surge to nearly half of UK net migration | UK | News
Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed net migration (the difference between arrivals and departures) fell by more than two-thirds in the year to June to 204,000, reaching the lowest annual level since 2021.
This sharp decline was largely due to the decline in the number of immigrants coming to work and study from outside the EU, and the departure of large numbers of immigrants who arrived under the so-called Boris wave since 2021, The Times reported.
However, the number of asylum seekers reached a record high last year, accounting for 44 percent of total net migration; this was double the pre-Brexit figure of 22 per cent in 2019.
Asylum seekers dominate migration as other categories decline
Highlighting the sharp change in migration patterns, the Oxford University Migration Observatory stated: “The only major migration category in which net migration did not decrease was asylum.
Long-term refugee migration was 96,000 in the year ending June 2025, accounting for 11 percent of all migration; This is twice the share of 5 percent in 2019.”
More recent Home Office data showed a record 110,051 people claimed asylum in England in the year to September; This caused the number of refugees housed in hotels to rise to 36,273 by the end of September; This was an increase of almost a quarter compared to when Labor came to power in July last year.
Starmer’s broken promise about hotel use
The Prime Minister has repeatedly promised to end the use of hotels to accommodate refugees, but figures show the government has failed to deliver on this promise. More than half of the asylum seekers arrived in the UK illegally, including 45,000 in small boats and 12,000 in the back of lorries or without sufficient documentation.
The number of small boat migrants deported from the UK has fallen since Labor came to power; A total of 2,852 people were removed; This is down from 2,932 in the equivalent period before Starmer became prime minister. Although the Home Office has significantly improved its decision-making process, reducing the asylum backlog to 62,000, the number of migrants appealing rejected asylum claims remains at record levels at over 50,000.
Conservatives accuse Labor of losing control
The Conservatives accused Labor of losing control of the border, while shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the government of failing to bring the crisis under control. “Today’s figures lay waste to every claim Labor has made about taking control. More asylum, more claims, more illegal immigrants in hotels and almost no removal of small boat migrants. This is an asylum system and illegal small boat migration in freefall under a Labor government too weak to contain,” he said.
Economic impact of changing migration patterns
Experts have warned that the changing nature of migration is likely to have less positive economic impact, with fewer people receiving skilled worker visas and a higher share of refugees often needing significant support. A separate Home Office study found that less than half of refugees granted asylum in the UK had a job after eight years; whereas the UK had a wider employment rate of 73 per cent over the same period.
As the asylum crisis continues to spiral out of control, the Labor government faces growing pressure to deliver on its promises and regain control of the UK’s borders.
