Fact-Check: Here's A Look At The Reality Asylum Seekers Actually Face In The UK

Protesters hold placards during a demonstration in Orpington near London, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025The long-running debate around the asylum seekers arriving on British shores via the English Channel escalated again over the summer.It began when anti-asylum protesters began to oppose the government’s use of the Bell Hotel in Epping to house those who are waiting for their claims processed.The demonstrations soon spread across the country, and politicians from Reform UK and the Conservative Party began to pressure Labour to change the entire asylum system.The government has promised to end the use of asylum hotels by the close of this parliament, expected to be in 2029, but it is still reliant on them for now.But the topic is clearly not going anywhere – data from YouGov found 52% of respondents said immigration was the most important issue facing the UK in July.However, the conversation has been littered with misinformation about the lives asylum seekers have once they get to UK shores.For instance, Reform UK’s Nigel Farage claimed that “migrants have more rights than British people”.So here’s a much-needed dose of reality of just what our asylum system is really like...1. Most asylum seekers do not live in top accommodationDespite widespread allegations, asylum seekers do not enjoy lavish conditions while they wait for their claims to be processed.They do not get priority housing or get to choose where they live.According to a 2023 report from The Guardian – many endure conditions “worse than prison” with “shared rooms, rancid food and no clothes”.Asylum cases can take years to be resolved, too, meaning they can be stuck in this limbo for a long time.At the end of March 2025, there were 109,536 people waiting for an initial decision on their asylum application – more than a third were waiting for over than a year, according to Refugee Council.Even those asylum seekers who get their refugee status approved, often face destitution, as their home office accommodation and financial support stop within 28 days of the decision.The government’s own statistics show homelessness among those leaving that accommodation has risen sharply in recent years.2. Asylum seekers are provided with just £7 a dayAsylum seekers hardly live a lavish life once they are here, and are prevented from working.They are not allowed access to state benefits but do receive £49.18 for each person in their household a week to cover their basic needs like food, clothing and toiletries.If pregnant, they can receive a one-off payment of £300.The British Red Cross said: “Many of the asylum seekers we see are penniless and struggling to feed themselves.“While they wait for a decision on their asylum claim (which can take years), they live in limbo: not allowed to work and dependent on limited support from the government.“We see many people who, without access to public funds, housing and employment, are often exposed to homelessness, abuse and exploitation.”3. Asylum seekers – including children – can be detained indefinitelyThe Refugee Council pointed out that the UK government has the power to detain people who are here seeking refuge indefinitely – which could include children.In the year to March 2024, “the latest statistics show that there were 20,919 people detained in immigration removal centres”.Many also struggle to ever be reunited with their families, and even unaccompanied children are not allowed to apply for their parents to join them in the UK.4. Refugees, migrants and asylum seekers are all different termsThere is no internationally recognised definition of a migrant, but the British Red Cross defines it as someone who has moved to another country – temporarily or permanently – to work, study or join family members.An asylum seeker is someone who has left their home country due to persecution, war or violence.A refugee is someone who has officially been granted asylum.A demonstrator holds a placard prior to a march to the Bell Hotel in Epping, near London, Sunday, July 27, 2025.5. It is not illegal to apply for asylumThe 1951 Refugee Convention protects people fleeing persecution over their race, religion, social group or political opinion.The treaty outlines an international recognised right to seek safety if that person is “unable to, or owing to such fear is unwilling to, avail himself of the protection of that country”.When people talk of illegal migrants, they are usually referring to people who are undocumented or taking irregular passage – like across the English Channel.You can also only apply for asylum once in the UK, there is no visa application process, meaning people have to come to the country first if they want help.It’s impossible to be an illegal asylum seeker.6. The cost of the asylum systemThe asylum system cost is approximately £5.4bn – mostly due to hotel accommodation.But, as the Migration Observatory found, the value of asylum support payments fell 37% in real terms between 2000 and 2024, despite nominal increases.Meanwhile, the cost of tax avoidance is estimated to be £36bn.7. The number of asylum seekers pales in comparison to the levels of legal migrationIn 2024, 84,200 applications – for 108,100 individuals – for asylum were made in the UK, which is the highest annual number of applications and applicants ever recorded.Parliament’s own research found that accounts for nearly one third (29%) of the total number of people who applied for asylum in the UK between 2018 and 2024.That may sound like a lot, but actually, asylum seekers and refugees make up just 16% of immigrants to the UK.If including those who come to the UK via humanitarian routes, that percentage goes up to 19% of total migration.8. The UK does not take a particularly large proportion of refugeesThe UK is home to just 1% of the world’s refugees. There are approximately 27 million refugees across the world.Just over 109,000 people claimed asylum in the UK last year.In 2024, that meant there 16 asylum applications for every 10,000 people living in the UK.Across the EU 27, there were 22 asylum applications for every 10,000 people.As the parliament website found, “the UK was therefore below the average among EU countries for asylum applications per head of population, ranking 14th among EU27 countries plus the UK on this measure.”Related...Liz Truss And Elon Musk Stoke Anti-Asylum Sentiment With Misleading Clip Of Labour MinisterLabour May Have Won The Court Battle On Housing Asylum Seekers, But Can It Win The Culture War?Why The Row Over Housing Asylum Seekers Could Be About To Come To A Head

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