The number of asylum seekers housed in hotels in the UK has been halved over the past year, according to recently released Home Office data. In June 2025, over 32,000 individuals were accommodated in hotels; by June of this year, that figure had fallen to more than 16,000. This substantial reduction coincides with a broader trend of declining legal migration arrivals, fewer asylum claims, and a decrease in small boat crossings from the continent.
The Home Office attributed these figures to the impact of its policies aimed at controlling migration, while acknowledging that further efforts are needed to address small boat crossings. The data also reveals a similar decline in the number of family members joining individuals already legally residing in the UK, alongside a one-fifth drop in asylum claims.
In the year leading up to June, approximately 38,000 illegal arrivals were detected, with about 33,000 arriving via small boats. More recent figures indicate that the lower trend in small boat arrivals has persisted, mirroring the decrease in asylum claims. Overall, 86,000 individuals sought asylum, a 20% decrease from the previous year. Notably, about half of these applications came from individuals already present in the UK, rather than those arriving on small boats.
The increased reliance on hotels for housing asylum seekers had previously coincided with a rise in English Channel crossings starting in 2019 and a slowdown in the Home Office's decision-making process for asylum claims. In response, one of the early actions taken by the Starmer government in July 2024 was to direct officials to expedite these decisions, with a stated goal of ending hotel usage within five years.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated, "A little over two years into office and the asylum backlog is down, the number of asylum seekers in hotels is falling, illegal working arrests are at record levels, and deportations and returns are up markedly. Small boats numbers are now falling, but we are not complacent and there is more we must do."
Concurrently, the number of people housed in accommodation provided by the Home Office in various locations across the country has increased from 65,000 at the end of 2024 to 69,000 in June of this year. These arrangements are part of a long-standing contract with private providers. The number of asylum claimants awaiting an initial ruling on their case, which determines their right to remain in the UK or the requirement to leave, has fallen to 40,000, a significant decrease from a peak of 175,000 in June 2023.
In the same year-long period to June, approximately 40,000 individuals deemed not to have a legal basis to remain in the UK—including foreign offenders, visa overstayers, and failed asylum applicants—were removed. This represents an 8% increase from the previous year. Officials reported that about one-third of those removed were failed asylum seekers, the highest proportion in 16 years and double the rate observed in 2021.