NAO Highlights Inefficiencies and Challenges in UK Asylum System
The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that the UK asylum system is hindered by inefficiencies, wasted public funds, and long-standing short-term, reactive policies that shift problems into other parts of the system.
An analysis of a January 2023 sample of 5,000 asylum claims revealed that 35% were granted protection, 9% removed, and 56% remained without a final outcome.
Of the 2,812 unresolved cases in that sample, about 2,021 had no appeal lodged, leaving many individuals in limbo due to difficulties with removals.
Accommodation shortages have led to an increased reliance on hotel use. In the fiscal year 2024-25, hotel accommodation costs reached £2.7 billion.
As of September 2025, there were 108,085 people in asylum accommodation, including 36,273 (34%) in hotels. The government has pledged to end hotel use by 2029.
The backlog includes 80,841 people waiting for a first decision as of September 2025—a decrease of 39% year-on-year—and 50,976 refused claimants appealing as of March 2025, an 88% year-on-year increase.
The NAO highlighted a shortage of specialist immigration judges and weak incentives for working in tribunals. It urged for a sustainable, whole-system approach and recommended implementing a unique asylum case identifier to track cases across systems.
The government responded that reforms are underway and claimed progress, including nearly 50,000 removals, a 63% rise in illegal-working arrests, and prevention of over 21,000 small-boat crossing attempts this year.
