Northern Ireland Supported 2,379 Asylum Seekers by March 2026 as CTA Arrivals Remain Uncounted
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 10
Northern Ireland Supported 2,379 Asylum Seekers by March 2026 as CTA Arrivals Remain Uncounted
1 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 10
Summary
Home Office data showed 2,379 asylum seekers were receiving support in Northern Ireland in March 2026, a figure that covers only people who claimed asylum there and excludes those supporting themselves.
The data still cannot show how many entered via the Common Travel Area, where the open Northern Ireland-Republic border has no routine immigration checks and asylum claimants cannot be returned once they apply.
Belfast housed 1,607 asylum seekers—about one for every 200 residents, the 10th-highest local authority rate in the UK after population adjustment—with most in self-catered accommodation and none in hotels.
UK-wide figures recorded 7,740 asylum claims through "other" routes including the CTA, but the category is not broken down by nation or route, leaving Northern Ireland arrivals via Ireland largely untracked.
The gap has drawn attention after Sudanese refugee Hadi Alodid, charged over an attempted murder in Belfast, was reported by police to have traveled from Dublin to Belfast in 2023 before gaining refugee status.