New Home Office quarterly immigration statistics show 133,409 people are waiting for initial asylum decision 

Data on asylum decision-making continues to confirm that most people who seek asylum are found to be entitled to it 

Backlog of claims left in limbo by last government has fallen slightly

‘There’s no compromising on the need for asylum in a world torn by conflict, authoritarianism and oppression’ - Steve Valdez-Symonds

Responding to new Government statistics released today (28 November) showing a significant increase in the number of people waiting for an initial decision on their asylum claims, Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, said:

“Today's data shows a significant rise over the first three months in the number of people awaiting a decision on their asylum claims, with the asylum backlog now standing at 133,409.

“The previous government left the asylum system in complete disarray by refusing to make decisions on people’s asylum claims.

“This Government must ensure the system makes reliable decisions and is accessible to people at risk of persecution.

“There’s no compromising on the need for asylum in a world torn by conflict, authoritarianism and oppression.

“The UK must play its full and fair part in providing safety for people forced to flee abuses rather than continuing the last government's long and disastrous attempt to evade this responsibility - as the last government showed, anything less only leads to disaster.”

Today’s figures, providing an update to those released at the end of September this year, show that there were 97,170 asylum claims (relating to 133,409 people) awaiting an initial decision. That is 22% fewer than a year earlier (September 2023), but 13% higher than at the end of the previous quarter (June 2024).

The figures also indicate an initial grant rate of over 60% on claims decided within the three months to the end of September 2024.

The backlog of asylum claims made between 28 June 2022 and 22 July 2024 remains around 80,000.