Net migration and asylum applications have fallen – here’s what the latest figures tell us

The latest UK immigration figures show a sharp decline of net migration, which is now at its lowest level since 2012, excluding the pandemic years.

Data published by the Office for National Statistics and the Home office covers the most recent changes in visas, small boat arrivals, use of asylum hotels and overall migration levels. Several key indicators used to measure migration policy are moving in the direction desired by the government (and much of the public), but some are moving more quickly than others. Here’s what the main numbers tell us.

Migration levels continue to decline

Net migration – the number of people arriving in the UK, minus the number of people leaving – fell to 171,000 in 2025. This is around half its 2024 level and 82% below the all-time high recorded in early 2023. This sharp decline is mainly the result of less immigration of workers and family members of international students. This followed the introduction of a suite of policies by the last Conservative government (which had previously liberalized the immigration system under Boris Johnson) to restrict immigration. The current Labor government has maintained these policies and introduced new restrictions.

However, even if the migration of groups that make positive or generally neutral Economic contributions, such as those of migrant workers, have declined, while asylum-related migration has remained at similar levels since the end of 2022.

Given that refugees have lower employment rates and often require significant state support, this means that the composition of recent migration has become less favorable from an economic perspective. This is a challenge for the government: the categories of migration that it most wants to reduce, for both political and economic reasons, are those that are most difficult to influence through immigration policy.

Will this drop in net migration continue? Probably in the short term, as visa granting continues to decline since 2025, while emigration (people leaving the UK) remains high. But this may be temporary. Once the people who arrived at the start of the decade leave, emigration is expected to decline, so the net migration figure is expected to rise again.

Almost one in five Britons are now born abroad

Although net migration is on a downward trajectory, it remains positive, meaning the UK’s foreign-born population continues to grow. New estimates show that it increased from around 10.7 million to 13.1 million between the last census (in March 2021 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and March 2022 for Scotland) and June 2024. As a result, people born outside the UK now make up 19% of the population (compared to 16% in the census).

Looking at the figures in more detail, the role of the post-Brexit immigration system becomes clear. The growth in the foreign-born population is entirely due to the increase in the population born outside the EU (up by 2.5 million), while the number of EU-born residents fell by around 200,000.

The post-Brexit system was more liberal for non-EU migrants – at least until early 2024, when the Conservatives reversed the changes they had made. introduced in 2021. But it was – and remains – significantly more restrictive for EU citizens than free movement.

Asylum backlog – and hotel backlog – has fallen

The number of asylum seekers fell by 12% in the year ending March 2026 (to 94,000), although this figure remains stable. high by historical standards. This drop is largely explained by a reduction in asylum requests from Syrian nationals after the fall of the Assad regime.

Additionally, the backlog of initial asylum applications has decreased because the Home Office is making decisions more quickly. As a result, the government has made progress towards its goal of closing all asylum hotels by 2029.

The number of asylum seekers living in hotels fell by 9,800 to 20,900 in the first three months of 2026 – the lowest level since December 2022. Reducing the use of hotels is important to the government as the high cost of hotels has contributed to record spending on asylum in recent years.

However, it could be difficult for the government to maintain the same pace of reduction. Indeed, a growing number of applicants are not waiting for an initial decision from the Ministry of the Interior, but are being refused asylum and awaiting an appeal to the courts. People who are waiting for their appeal to be heard are still entitled to asylum accommodation.

The rate of asylum seekers granted refugee status has fallen in recent years, from 76% in 2022 to 39% in the year ending March 2026. Reducing the appeals backlog is more difficult because appeals require judges, who are more trained than the Home Office caseworkers who make initial decisions. The government plans to change this situation, but the deadlines and results remain unclear.

British citizenship applications hit record high

Home Office statistics have also shown that more people living in the UK are choosing to stay long term. Applications for British citizenship hit a record high of more than 300,000 in the year ending March 2026.

In some ways, the increase in citizenship applications is not a huge surprise: non-EU immigration increased in the late 2010s, and many of these people are now reaching the point where they can apply for citizenship. But the increase was larger than expected, particularly among U.S. and European citizens.

A possible explanation for this is government projectsas well as the proposals for other partiesto restrict permanent status and citizenship. In other words, some people may feel it is better to apply for citizenship now rather than risk stricter requirements later.

Ben BrindleResearcher, Migration Observatory, University of Oxford

This article is republished from The conversation under Creative Commons license.