UK Asylum Appeals Surge Nearly 500% to 42K

The number of asylum seekers awaiting appeal hearings in the UK has surged to nearly 42,000, marking a 485% increase over the past two years. This backlog has strained the asylum system, with the Refugee Council attributing the crisis to a decline in decision-making efficiency under the previous government, which prioritized the Rwanda scheme. In the last three months alone, over 12,000 new appeals were filed, exacerbating the situation as 38,079 individuals were housed in hotels at the end of 2024, potentially costing taxpayers nearly £1.5 billion in 2025. The current government plans to introduce a mandatory 24-week deadline for asylum appeals to alleviate the backlog, but reforms to increase legal aid fees for representation will not take effect until later this year. The Refugee Council emphasizes the need for improved first-time decision-making to prevent a repeat of the backlog elsewhere in the system. As asylum applications face increasing refusals, particularly for Afghan nationals, the situation continues to evolve amidst ongoing governmental efforts to address these challenges.