politics
UK Removed One in Six Rejected Asylum Seekers in 2025, Figures Show
Official figures indicate that fewer than one in six rejected asylum seekers were removed from the UK in 2025, with thousands remaining in state-funded accommodation. Analysis by the Conservative Party highlighted low return rates to countries with formal agreements. The government reported an increase in overall returns compared to previous years.
The TimesAudio version
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Fewer than one in six rejected asylum seekers were removed from the UK in 2025, according to an analysis of official figures by the Conservative Party. The analysis showed that 11,631 failed asylum seekers were returned out of 80,264 refusals, a rate of just under 15 percent. Of these, 3,432 were enforced removals, while the rest left voluntarily, some with payments of up to £3,000.
the end of 2025, 4,577 asylum seekers whose claims and appeals had been rejected remained in taxpayer-funded accommodation, including 340 in hotels. These individuals were among 107,003 asylum seekers housed by the state. Failed asylum seekers can receive accommodation if deemed destitute.
The largest group of failed asylum seekers in the UK are from Pakistan, with 10,853 refusals in 2025 but only 445 returns. Nearly 200 failed Pakistani asylum seekers were in state-funded accommodation as of December 2025.
Vietnam, 203 failed asylum seekers were returned out of 2,856 refusals, a rate of 7 percent. For Iraq, 306 out of 2,968 were returned, just over 10 percent. All these countries have formal returns agreements with the UK intended to facilitate the process.
The Conservative Party analysis noted that Britain has returns deals with 19 countries, some accepting as few as 4 percent of failed asylum seekers.
sources stated that the number of people without legal status to be removed has increased under the current administration. In 2025, 37,918 failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals were returned, a 9 percent increase from 2024 and the highest since 2017.
