UK asylum appeal backlog at record high of 80,000

The UK's asylum appeals backlog has reached a record high, almost doubling in size in almost a year, according to data published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on Thursday.

There were 80,333 appeals waiting to be heard at the end of 2025, up from 41,987 a year earlier and the average waiting time for an asylum appeal was 63 weeks, up from 48 weeks in 2024.

The rise coincides with Labour's first full year in government, threatening to undermine a key manifesto pledge to restore order to the asylum system and end the use of hotels.

A government spokesperson said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was "getting the asylum system moving again".

The number of people waiting for an initial asylum decision was "down nearly 50% under this government", they said.

"We are reforming human rights laws and replacing the broken appeals system, bringing an end to unacceptable delays and repeat applications, with extra funding to maximise the number of appeals that can be heard in First Tier Tribunals.

"These initiatives will reduce appeal times, enabling swifter movement out of asylum hotels and removal of those with no right to be in the UK."

Home Office figures show 30,657 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels at the end of December while awaiting decisions.

Experts have warned that the rising number of appeals could make it harder for the government to meet its pledge to end the use of asylum hotels by the close of this Parliament in 2029.

An asylum appeal can relate to more than one person and The Refugee Council estimates the 80,333 outstanding appeals correspond to more than 100,000 people once family members are factored in.

Director of affairs Imran Hussain told the PA news agency that delays were leaving many "stuck" in asylum accommodation for months on end, "unable to work or rebuild their lives, at huge cost to the public purse".

The latest figures from the MoJ come a week after the home secretary unveiled a trial scheme where families of failed asylum seekers would be offered up to £40,000 to leave the UK.

Mahmood said her approach was "compassionate but controlled".

Statistics published at the end of last year found that the backlog of asylum appeals was higher for the first time on record than the backlog of cases waiting for an initial decision.

Some 100,625 people claimed asylum in the year to December and 41% of these arrived by small boats, according to Home Office figures published in February.