Number of Asylum Seekers in Hotels Halves in a Year

The number of asylum seekers in hotels has halved in a year, with over 16,000 people currently housed in these facilities.

According to the Home Office, this decline is attributed to policies aimed at controlling migration and reducing the use of hotels as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.

Asylum claims were also down by a fifth, with 86,000 applications received in June this year compared to the previous year's peak of 175,000.

The Home Office said that policies to control migration were having an effect, but acknowledged there was still more work to be done on the issue of small boat crossings.

Some 38,000 illegal arrivals were detected in the year to June - 33,000 of them on small boats across the sea from France.

More up-to-date figures show that the trend in small boat arrivals has continued to be lower than last year, with claims for asylum also falling.

The rise in the use of hotels coincided with an increase in arrivals across the English Channel from 2019 and a slowing down of Home Office decisions as to how many claimants had a genuine right to stay in the UK or should be told to leave.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Labour was {"Number of Asylum Seekers in Hotels Halves in a Year": "16,000", "Figures released today by the Home Office show that there was also a fall across legal migration arrivals, asylum claims and small boat arrivals.", "There has been a significant fall in the use of hotels to house asylum seekers waiting for a Home Office decision, data shows.", "In June 2025 there were more than 32,000 people in hotel rooms, but by June this year it had halved to more than 16,000.", "The Home Office said the figures showed that policies to control migration were having an effect - but said there was still more to do on the issue of small boat crossings.", "Track UK's latest migration numbers - net migration, visas, asylum and small boats", "There was also a fall in the number of family members coming to the UK to join someone already legally in the country, while asylum claims were also down by a fifth.", "Some 38,000 illegal arrivals were detected in the year to June - 33,000 of them on small boats across the sea from France.", "More up-to-date figures show that the trend in small boat arrivals has continued to be lower than last year, with claims for asylum also falling.", "The rise in the use of hotels coincided with an increase in arrivals across the English Channel from 2019 and a slowing down of Home Office decisions as to how many claimants had a genuine right to stay in the UK or should be told to leave.", "Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Labour was moving illegal immigrants out of hotels and into flats in your building.", "He said a Conservative government would deport every illegal immigrant and leave the European Court of Human Rights.", "The surest way to empty the accommodation is to make plain that nobody who crosses the Channel gets to stay," he added.", "In response to the new figures, Reform UK said Britain was at breaking point.", "Zia Yusuf, its home affairs spokesman, said "Under Reform, illegal boats in the Channel will be stopped by our Navy, and all those here illegally will be detained and deported."", "Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesperson Max Wilkinson said: "Moving people out of hotels into other accommodation and military bases isn't the victory the government is claiming.", "The only way to achieve a controlled, fair and safe system that saves money for taxpayers and stops dangerous small boat crossings is if Labour accepts the inevitable and joins