Britain sets record for asylum applications

The UK Home Office announced a record number of asylum applications last year.

The UK is the fifth-largest refugee-hosting country in the European Union, while the government remains under pressure to reduce the backlog of asylum applications.

The UK Home Office released figures recorded yesterday, Thursday, February 27, showing that 108,138 people had applied for asylum in the country by the end of December 2024, an 18% increase compared to 2023 and almost double the number of asylum seekers in 2021.

The UK Home Office said the number broke the previous record set in 2002 and that the increase in applications last year was due to an increase in the number of small boats carrying asylum seekers and bringing them into the country.

The number of boats arriving in the UK in 2024 was also 25% higher than in 2023. Last year (2024), the UK sent a large number of refugees who entered the country illegally to immigration detention, a 12% increase compared to previous years. The number of people forcibly returned to another country also increased by 28%, with the largest number of Albanian nationals. The number of people returned to other countries was more than 8,100.

Despite the return of asylum seekers to other countries and delays in processing asylum cases, more than 269,600 people were granted British citizenship in 2024, a significant increase.

Border Security and Asylum Secretary Angela Gill, while criticising the previous government for its “inefficient asylum system”, said: “Labour is facing a backlog of asylum cases. We are bringing order to the system, but it will take some time to get things under control and get the system working again. Many people want to come here and many come here on work and student visas and then claim asylum. We need to be tougher on people who have overstayed their visas.”