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Recent immigration figures for the UK reveal a decrease in the number of family members arriving to join relatives already legally residing in the country, alongside a notable decline in asylum applications, which dropped by 20% compared to the previous year. Within the year to June, authorities detected roughly 38,000 illegal arrivals, with the vast majority—33,000—entering via small boats crossing the English Channel from France. More current data suggests this downward trend in boat crossings has persisted, corresponding to the overall reduction in asylum claims.
Approximately 86,000 individuals sought asylum during this period, marking a fifth fewer than the prior year. Notably, about half of these applications came from people who were already in the UK legally, rather than through illegal entry such as channel crossings. The increase in the use of hotels to house asylum seekers coincided with a surge in arrivals since 2019, combined with slower decision-making processes by the Home Office regarding the legitimacy of asylum claims. In response, one of the initial actions of the new government in July 2024 was to accelerate processing times, targeting the elimination of hotel accommodations for asylum seekers within five years.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood highlighted the progress made, reporting that after just over two years in office, the backlog in asylum cases has been reduced, hotel stays for asylum seekers have declined, arrests for illegal working have reached record levels, and deportations and returns have increased substantially. While small boat crossings continue to fall, she emphasized that the government remains vigilant. In contrast, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the current approach, asserting that Labour is simply relocating illegal immigrants from hotels to private flats. He pledged that a Conservative government would deport all illegal immigrants and withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights, stressing, “The surest way to empty the accommodation is to make plain that nobody who crosses the Channel gets to stay.”
The number of people housed in Home Office-funded accommodation nationwide rose from 65,000 at the end of 2024 to 69,000 by June of the current year, maintained under long-term contracts with private sector providers. Meanwhile, the tally of asylum applicants awaiting an initial decision on their cases decreased significantly to 40,000 from a high of 175,000 in June 2023. Over the same period, around 40,000 individuals without a legal right to remain in the UK—including foreign offenders, visa overstayers, and failed asylum seekers—were removed, representing an 8% increase from the prior year. Of these removals, failed asylum seekers comprised roughly one-third, the highest proportion in 16 years and double the rates recorded in 2021.
In terms of work-related immigration, Home Office records show 235,000 work visas issued over the year to June 2026, down 18% from the year before and 62% below the peak figure reached in December 2023. That peak was largely influenced by liberalized visa policies under the previous prime minister, which were subsequently tightened during the final months of that administration. Particularly notable was a 90% drop in specialist health and care worker visas, reflecting progressively stricter rules. Additionally, the number of foreign students arriving in the UK declined by 11% year-on-year to 383,000, marking a 41% decrease from the high point in June 2023.
Family reunification visas also experienced a downturn, with only 58,000 granted in the year to June 2026—a 19% reduction on the previous 12 months. Experts attribute this fall mainly to recently implemented regulations that make it significantly harder for refugee families to join relatives in the UK, a policy that has faced legal challenges but remains in force. This approach is seen by the government as an important deterrent to illegal crossings via the Channel, though critics argue it unjustly restricts genuine refugees from rebuilding their lives. Immigration statistics like these are published quarterly, each covering a 12-month period
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