UK Asylum Appeal Backlog Hits Record 87,500, Pushing Total Caseload to 123,194
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 11
UK Asylum Appeal Backlog Hits Record 87,500, Pushing Total Caseload to 123,194
2 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 11
Summary
87,500 asylum appeals were pending at the end of March 2026, up 70% from a year earlier and the highest level on record.
35,744 initial asylum cases were still awaiting a first decision, down from 85,839 when Labour took office in June 2024, but faster processing and a lower grant rate have shifted more failed claims into appeals.
123,194 total asylum cases remained outstanding, about 4,000 more than in June 2024, though below the June 2023 peak of 141,647 under the previous Conservative government.
Hilary Benn said the government had cleared backlogs and sped up claims, while Oxford's Migration Observatory said one backlog was being moved to another; ministers are planning an independent-adjudicator system to accelerate appeals.
67,188 people were returned between July 2024 and March 2026, but Benn's claim of nearly 70,000 deportations was inaccurate because only 16,476 were enforced returns and 50,712 were voluntary.