Number of asylum seekers in UK hotels drops to 16,021 – down by 50% in a year

Number of asylum seekers in UK hotels drops to 16, 021 – down by 50% in a year The number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels stood at 16, 021 at the end of June 2026, down 50% year-on-year.

Key points

• The figure stood at 16, 021 at the end of June 2026, down 50% year-on-year from 32, 041.
• The total number in asylum hotels climbed as high as 56, 018 at the end of September 2023.
• There were 40, 168 individuals waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application in the UK at the end of June 2026.
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• Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood remarked the latest stats demonstrated the Labour Administration is "restoring control".

Notably, the number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels is down by half, official stats show.

Notably, the figure stood at 16, 021 at the end of June 2026, down 50% year-on-year from 32, 041. It is the lowest figure since data was first documented in 2022, Home Office figures show.

Notably, the number of individuals applying for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2026 is additionally down 21%, at 85, 891 individuals, with small boat arrivals accounting for 40% of the total. The total figure was 108, 585 in the previous year. When applications stood at 75, 668, it is additionally the lowest 12-month total since the year to June 2022.

For context, the total number in asylum hotels climbed as high as 56, 018 at the end of September 2023. The Labour Administration has pledged to end the apply of hotels for asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament – 2029.

Another 13 asylum hotels closed earlier this month as Andy Burnham's Administration continues the process of moving residents into alternative accommodation. The total number is now below 160 – having peaked at around 400 under the Conservatives. Ministers are increasing their employ of more "basic" sites including former military barracks.

There were 40, 168 individuals waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application in the UK at the end of June 2026. This is down 56% from 90, 812 a year earlier at the end of June 2025 and is the lowest number since March 2019.

In an official note, Ms Mahmood remarked: A little over two years into office and the asylum backlog is down, the number of asylum seekers in hotels is falling, illegal working arrests are at record levels, and deportations and returns are up markedly.

Small boats numbers are additionally now falling, but we are not complacent and there is more we must do. That is why I have boosted enforcement on the French beaches and overseas and introduced new legislation to tackle the pull factors that draw individuals here through unsafe and illegal routes.

"This Government is restoring control at our border and fairness to the migration system."

New data additionally demonstrated Home Office spending on asylum in the UK stood at £4.36billion in 2025/26, down 8% from £4.76billion in 2024/25 and the second annual fall in a row.

Notably, the total covers all Home Office costs related to asylum, including direct cash backing and accommodation, plus wider staffing and other migration and borders activity.

It does not include costs relating to the interception of migrants who travel to the UK throughout the English Channel in small boats. Spending hit a record high of £5.38billion in 2023/24.

In short, number of asylum seekers in UK hotels drops to 16, 021 is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.