Asylum claims decline by 21% in year ending June 2026, with grant rate declining to 38%

The latest Home Office immigration statistics released today (available here) show that the number of people claiming asylum in the UK fell by 21% in the year ending June 2026, although claims remain significantly above the levels typically seen before 2021.

A total of 85,891 people (main applicants and their dependants) claimed asylum during the 12 months to 30 June 2026. The decline follows a peak of 109,662 claims in the year ending September 2025.

The overall fall in claims was reflected across most nationalities. Syrian asylum claims recorded the largest numerical decrease, falling 73% to 1,398, following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024. Claims from Vietnamese nationals dropped by 57% to 1,598, while claims from Colombian and Jordanian nationals fell by over 80% after changes to visa-free travel arrangements.

Afghan claims decreased by 25% to 5,952, although Afghanistan remained one of the largest sources of asylum applicants.

In the year ending June 2026, the six nationalities with the highest number of asylum claimants were Pakistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Irregular entry routes remained the most common route into the asylum system, accounting for 52% of claimants. Small boat arrivals made up 40% of all asylum seekers, or 33,949 people, while 41%, or 34,999 people, had previously held a visa or other form of leave to remain.

While asylum claims from former study visa holders fell by 35%, claims from people who had held work visas increased by 16%, which the Home Office notes was driven largely by a more than doubling in claims from Graduate visa holders.

The asylum backlog fell significantly. The Home Office said: "At the end of June 2026 there were 40,168 people (relating to 32,401 cases) awaiting an initial decision, 56% less than at the end of June 2025 and the lowest level since June 2019."

The total number of people receiving an initial decision was 115,872, broadly unchanged from the previous year, though more than four times the annual average seen between 2010 and 2019.

Another notable decline was seen in the percentage of asylum seekers granted protection or other leave at initial decision. The overall grant rate stood at 38%, down from 48% in the previous year and well below the recent peak of 77% in the year ending September 2022.

A total of 42,394 people were granted refugee protection or other leave at initial decision, down 21% on the previous year. Refusals increased by 23%, with 73,478 claimants refused protection or other leave.

Grant rates continued to vary significantly by nationality. Among the ten nationalities receiving the highest numbers of initial decisions, Sudanese nationals had the highest grant rate at 92%, followed by Eritreans at 84%. In contrast, Bangladesh had a grant rate of 11%, Syria 10%, while Indian nationals had a rate of just 1%.

A dramatic decline was seen in the proportion of Syrian asylum claimants granted protection.

The Home Office stated: "The grant rate for Syrian nationals has decreased substantially, from 98% in the YE June 2025 to 10% in the latest year. Furthermore, the grant rate for Pakistani nationals fell considerably, from 46% to 25%. Beyond the notable falls for Syrian and Pakistani nationals, most other top 10 nationalities experienced small to moderate declines in grant rates (between 2 and 9 percentage points). Nigerian nationals were the only group to see a moderate increase, with their grant rate rising from 22% to 28%."

Beyond asylum, today's statistics show a decline in visas issued for work and study. Work visas fell by 18% to 235,000 in the year ending June 2026, 62% below their peak in the year ending December 2023. Sponsored study visas were down 11% to 383,000, 41% below their peak in the year ending June 2023. Family visa grants also declined, falling by 19% to 58,000, although family-related extensions rose by 46% to 82,000, which the Home Office said reflects higher volumes of Partner visa holders and their dependants extending their stay in the UK.