Number of asylum seekers in hotels falls by 50 per cent

Dr Nuni Jorgenson from the University of Oxford said this decline is the result of faster asylum decisions.

According to Home Office figures, 16,021 asylum seekers were staying in hotels at the end of June 2026, down 50 per cent from 32,041 the previous year and the lowest level since records began in 2022.

Meanwhile, migrants continue to live in the Grenoble Road hotel with no sign from the government as to when it will be shut.

Migrant Channel crossing incidents

Dr Jorgenson, from the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory, said: “In its first two years in office, the Government has made some progress on its pledge to close asylum hotels.

“It has done so by primarily making asylum decisions faster.

“That reduced the size of the initial decision backlog but shifted the problem to a new appeals backlog in the courts.

“The initial backlog is now actually relatively low, and most decisions take a few months.

“The biggest remaining challenge for the Government is now the backlog in the courts.”

The reduction in hotel use comes despite a four per cent rise in the number of asylum seekers placed in dispersal accommodation, such as privately managed houses and flats.

This figure rose from 66,234 to 69,038 over the same period.

However, the overall number of claimants receiving support fell by 12 per cent, from 106,075 to 93,293.

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The Home Office recorded an eight per cent drop in asylum-related spending, which totalled £4.36 billion in 2025-26.

This marks the second consecutive annual decline.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “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 also now falling, but we are not complacent and there is more we must do.

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

The Labour Government has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament.

An additional 13 hotels were closed earlier this month, bringing the total number in use to fewer than 160, down from a peak of around 400.

Enforced and voluntary returns of migrants who arrived in the UK via small boats reached a record high of 1,099 between April and June.

This is up from 695 in the previous quarter.

A total of 3,310 such migrants were returned in the year to June, with 40 per cent identified as Albanian nationals.

Home Office figures released on Thursday also reveal that the number of people who applied for asylum in the UK is down by 21%.

A total of 85,891 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2026 compared with 108,585 in the previous year.