Accredited official statistics

How many people do we grant protection to?

Updated 4 September 2023

‘Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2023’ contents page.

This is not the latest release. View latest release.

Data relates to year ending March 2023 and all comparisons are with the year ending March 2022 (unless indicated otherwise). Additional comparisons are also provided with the pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic period and for longer-term trends.

An asylum application may relate to more than one person. Such as, if the main applicant has family members (or ‘dependants’) which they request to be covered by the same application. This release features data on both the number of asylum applications or initial decisions (‘main applicants only’), and the number of people related to asylum applications and initial decisions (‘main applicants and dependants’).

Small boat arrivals accounted for 44% of asylum applications in the year ending March 2023. More information on asylum claims from small boat arrivals and other irregular arrivals can be found in the ‘Irregular Migration to the UK statistics’ Home Office report.

The resettlement section of this release includes data on those under the Afghan schemes: Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). For simplicity, this release may use the term ‘resettlement’ when referring to the total number of individuals under both schemes. However, please note ARAP is not a resettlement scheme. Individuals under ACRS are resettled; individuals under ARAP are relocated.

1. People granted protection and other leave through asylum and resettlement routes

This section covers individuals offered ‘leave to remain in the UK’ via 3 routes:

• applying for asylum
• resettlement
• family reunion visas

The resettlement figures in this release include individuals resettled under ‘Pathway 1’, ‘Pathway 2’ and ‘Pathway 3’ of the Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), and those relocated under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), as well as other pre-existing resettlement schemes. For further information on ACRS and ARAP, see the Resettlement section below and About the statistics.

The UK offered protection to 22,648 people (including dependants) in the year ending March 2023 comprising:

• 16,805 people granted refugee permission following an asylum application
• 120 granted temporary refugee permission
• 947 granted humanitarian protection
• 362 granted alternative forms of protective leave (such as discretionary leave, UASC leave)
• 4,414 resettled to the UK through resettlement schemes

Additionally, 4,612 partners and children of refugees living in the UK were granted entry to the UK through family reunion visas. This is around a quarter (23%) fewer than the number in the year ending March 2022.

Figure 1 shows that the number of people granted protection following an application for asylum increased in 2015 (during the ‘European migration crisis’), and again just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Levels began to rise again in 2021 and are now above the numbers seen in 2019.

The number of people brought to the UK through a resettlement scheme increased in 2015 to around 5,000 per year (following the introduction of the new resettlement schemes for the large numbers of Syrians forced to leave their country). Numbers resettled remained around this level until March 2020, when resettlement activity was paused due to the pandemic. Resettlement numbers increased again sharply in 2021 following the relocation and resettlement of people from Afghanistan following the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

The number of people offered protection in the year ending March 2023 is 31% lower than in the year ending March 2022 (32,970 people), due to high numbers coming through the Afghan routes (ACRS and ARAP) in 2021. However, the number offered protection in the year ending March 2023 is still 9% higher than in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic (when 20,692 people were offered protection).

Figure 1: People granted refugee status and other protection, resettlement and family reunion visas in the UK, years ending March 2014 to March 2023^1,2,3,4

Source: Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement – Asy_D02

Notes:

1. ‘Grants of refugee status and other protection’ are grants that resulted from an asylum application. These include grants of refugee status and other grants where the individual does not meet the criteria for refugee status (for example, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave, grants under family and private life rules, leave outside the rules and UASC leave).
2. The data on grants refer to ‘issued at initial decision’. The final number of grants following appeal will be higher.
3. Grants of family reunion visas are not included in the ‘Total offered protection’ figure, as the individuals do not receive refugee status.
4. These statistics include both main applicants and dependants.

The data in this section relating to those granted refugee status or alternative forms of leave include only those granted at initial decision following an asylum application. However, there will be additional people who receive a grant of protection following an appeal against the initial decision on their application (see outcomes and appeals).

1.1 Resettlement

The resettlement data in this release includes people resettled or relocated under the Afghan routes (ACRS and ARAP), but Afghan data is provisional whilst work continues to ensure data related to these individuals are being comprehensively recorded. The total number of people evacuated from Afghanistan (arrivals) is higher than the total people shown under the Afghan schemes in this release, as not all those evacuated required resettlement (for example, British citizens or those with settled status). Afghan Resettlement Programme: Operational Data provides further information on total arrivals.

ACRS data relates to those resettled on Pathways 1, 2 and 3.

There were 4,414 people resettled in the year ending March 2023, 77% fewer than in the year ending March 2022 when 19,203 people were resettled, most following evacuation from Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

In the year ending March 2023:

• 78% (3,452) of resettled refugees arrived through Afghan schemes, and 16% (711) through the UK Resettlement Scheme
• the most common nationalities of those resettled in the year ending March 2023 were Afghan (79%, largely through Afghan schemes), Syrian (10%, top nationality arriving through the UK Resettlement Scheme) and Sudanese (3%, second most common nationality arriving through the UK Resettlement Scheme)

Since their first arrivals in 2021, the Afghan schemes have resettled a total of 21,004 people while the UK Resettlement scheme has resettled 2,192 refugees. Between 2015 and March 2023, the UK has resettled a total of 49,492 individuals.

More information about current and previous resettlement schemes can be found in the user guide.

International comparisons should be made with caution as available data from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) relates only to UNHCR resettlement schemes (therefore excludes cases relocated under ARAP and ACRS ‘Pathway 1’). In 2022, the UK resettled nearly 1,200 individuals under UNHCR resettlement schemes, ranking ninth globally for UNHCR resettlement in that period. Between 2015 and 2022, the UK has resettled over 28,000 individuals under UNHCR resettlement schemes – the fifth highest number in the world (after the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Australia). International resettlement data is sourced from UNHCR, and are accurate as of April 2023.

1.2 Safe and legal (humanitarian) routes

The UK government provides a variety of safe and legal (humanitarian) entry routes to the UK for people in need of protection, along with their family members.

The latest available published statistics show that in the 7 years from 2015 to March 2023, over half a million (511,998) people were offered safe and legal (humanitarian) routes under the following schemes:

• 249,871 visas have been granted under the Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes as of the end of March 2023 – of which 225,278 were granted under the Ukraine Visa Schemes (of whom at least 169,300 are known to have arrived in the UK as of 31 March 2023), and 24,593 visas were granted under the Ukraine Extension Schemes to individuals already in the UK
• 166,420 BN(O) Hong Kong visas have been granted as of the end of March 2023, 139,144 of which were granted to those out of country (113,500 people are known to have arrived in the UK following an out of country grant)
• 49,492 people have been resettled or relocated, of which 21,004 were through ACRS and ARAP as of the end of March 2023
• 46,215 family reunion visas have been granted to family members of refugees as of the end of March 2023

More information on the Ukraine visas schemes can be found in the ‘Statistics on Ukrainians in the UK’ chapter and the weekly ‘Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data’ publication.

Further statistics on the ‘Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) route’ (including applications to enter or remain in the UK, decisions on those applications and number of arrivals to the UK) are included in the ‘How many people come to the UK each year (including visitors)’ chapter of this statistics release.

Figure 2: People offered safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK, total from January 2015 to March 2023^1,2,3,4,5,6

Source: Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement – Asy_D02 and Family reunion – Fam_D01

Notes:

1. Includes main applicants and dependants.
2. The Ukraine Scheme visas include visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme which launched 4 March 2022, and the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme which launched 18 March 2022.
3. BN(O) Hong Kong visa scheme was launched on 31 January 2021.
4. Resettlement includes the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship Scheme, Mandate Scheme, Gateway Protection Programme, Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme, and Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Not all of these schemes have been active throughout the entire period.
5. The ARAP was launched April 2021, and the ACRS was launched 6 January 2022. ACRS figures include ACRS Pathway 1, Pathway 2 and Pathway 3.
6. ‘Visas granted’ data provides an indication of the number of people who have an intention to enter the UK rather than actual arrivals. Individuals can arrive at any time during the period that the visa is valid.

2. Asylum applications

There were 75,492 asylum applications (relating to 91,047 people) in the UK in the year ending March 2023. This is 33% more applications than in the year ending March 2022 (56,560, relating to 66,838 people), and the highest number for 2 decades.

As shown in Figure 3, it is higher than at the peak of the European migration crisis (when in the year ending June 2016 there were 36,546 applications). But 10% lower than the number of asylum applications in the previous peak in 2002 (84,132 applications), which was partly caused by conflict and political unrest at that time in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Somalia.

Figure 3: Asylum applications lodged in the UK, year ending March 2002 to March 2023 ¹

Source: Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement –Asy_D01

Notes:

1. Main applicants only.

The increase in applications in the year ending March 2023 partially reflects an increase in small boat arrivals to the UK. In the year ending March 2023, 90% of small boat arrivals (40,444) claimed asylum or were recorded as a dependant on an asylum application. In total, just under half (44%) of the asylum applications in the year ending March 2023 were from people who arrived on a small boat. For further information on small boat arrivals, see the ‘Irregular Migration to the UK statistics’ Home Office report.

2.1 Applications by nationality

In every year between 2016 and the year ending June 2022, Iran was the top nationality claiming asylum in the UK. However, due to a rise in Albanian asylum claims from mid-2022, Albania was the most common nationality applying for asylum in the year ending March 2023.

In the year ending March 2023 the UK received 13,714 asylum applications from Albanian nationals, 9,487 of which originated from small boat arrivals. While there was a rise in Albanian small boat arrivals and asylum applications over the summer months of 2022, these subsequently reduced and by early 2023 had dropped below levels seen in 2021.

Asylum applications from Afghanistan have also increased. In the year ending March 2023, Afghans were the second most common nationality applying for asylum in the UK, with 9,606 applications, more than double compared to the year ending March 2022 (4,118 applications), likely due to the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.

The third most common nationality to claim asylum in the UK were Iranian nationals, with 7,719 applications in the year ending March 2023. This is 25% fewer applications than in the year ending March 2022, when there were 10,332 applications.

Applications from Indian nationals increased from 1,333 applications in the year ending March 2022 to 3,911 applications in the year ending March 2023, making India the fourth most common nationality applying for asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2023.

Many of the top nationalities applying for asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2023 are also the most common nationalities arriving via small boats currently, including Albanians, Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis and Syrians. For further information on small boat arrivals, see the ‘Irregular Migration to the UK statistics‘ release.

Figure 4: Top 10 nationalities¹ claiming asylum in the UK, years ending March 2021 to 2023, and grant rate² at initial decision (%), year ending March 2023

Source: Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement – Asy_D01 and Asy_D02

Notes:

1. Top 10 nationalities in the year ending March 2023 (excluding stateless); main applicants only.
2. The percentages in the chart are the grant rate at initial decision for each nationality in the year ending March 2023. Grant rate is the proportion of initial decisions which resulted in a grant of protection or other leave.
3. Unlike most nationalities applying for asylum, Albanians have a high rate of withdrawing their application. If these withdrawals are taken into account, their grant rate drops from 34% to 5%.

Figure 4 shows the grant rate for the top 10 nationalities applying for asylum, nearly half of which have a grant rate of 80% or above (Afghanistan 98%, Syria 99%, Eritrea 99%, and Sudan 83%). In contrast, only 5% of Indian nationals who had applied for asylum received a grant of protection in the year ending March 2023. For more details on grant rates, see the at initial decision section below.

Whilst around one third of Albanian asylum applications were granted in the year ending March 2023, these cases have been awaiting a decision for some time and will not reflect the significant number of Albanians who arrived on small boats over the last year. Most Albanian applicants in 2022 (83%) were adult males which is different from the composition of cases currently being concluded. Further commentary on Albanian asylum applications is provided in section 3.1 below.

In the year ending March 2023, the UK received 244 asylum applications (relating to 362 people) from Ukrainian nationals. However, the vast majority of Ukrainians arriving in the UK following the Russian invasion of Ukraine will not apply for asylum, rather they will arrive under new legal migration visa routes introduced for Ukrainian citizens from March 2022. For information on Ukrainians, see the Statistics on Ukrainians in the UK chapter of this release. Further information on the numbers of people arriving through the new Ukraine visa routes are updated regularly on the ‘Ukraine Visa Scheme: visa data’ page.

There were 409 applications for asylum from Russian nationals in the year ending March 2023, double the number of applications made by Russian nationals in the year ending March 2022, when there were 204 applications.

2.2 Age and sex of asylum seekers

Of the 91,047 people who applied for asylum in the year ending March 2023, two-thirds (62%) were males aged 18 to 49. Children (aged 17 and under) accounted for almost a fifth (18%) of people applying for asylum (see table 1 below).

Table 1: Individuals applying for asylum as a proportion of the total, by age and sex in the year ending March 2023

Age	Male	Female
17 and Under	12%	6%
18 to 29	40%	8%
30 to 49	22%	9%
50 to 69	2%	1%
70 and above	<1%	<1%
Total	76%	24%

Source: Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement – Asy_D01

Notes:

1. Includes main applicants and dependants.
2. Percentages may differ when summed due to rounding.

There were 5,010 applications from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), an 8% increase on the year ending March 2022. However, UASC applications made up only 7% of total asylum applications to the UK in the year ending March 2023.

2.3 International comparisons

In 2022 (the latest available Eurostat data, as of April 2023), there were almost 1.25 million people claiming asylum in the EU+, an increase of 48% compared to the previous year. The UK saw a similar percentage increase (53%) over the same period.

The numbers published by Eurostat include dependants. The EU+ refers to the 27 countries in the EU, 4 additional countries who are members of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.

In 2022, Germany received the highest number of asylum applicants (332,260) in the EU+, followed by France (194,490) and Spain (138,820).

When compared with the other European countries in 2022, the UK received the sixth largest number of applicants (89,398 – including both main applicants and dependants). This equates to 7% of the total asylum applicants across the EU+ and UK combined over that period, but the 22nd largest intake when measured ‘per head of population’.

The EU+ and the UK received 48,417 applications from UASCs in 2022. The UK received the third largest intake of UASC applications in the EU+ and UK, with 5,242 applications in 2022 (11% of all UASC applications in the EU+ and UK). Austria ranked first with 13,155 (27%) applications , and Germany second with 7,270 (15%) applications.

Figure 5: The number of asylum applicants to the UK and the top 3 countries in the EU+, 2018 to 2022 ^1,2,3

Source: Eurostat Asylum statistics, and Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement – Asy_D01 and Asy_D02

Notes:

1. Top 3 countries in the EU+ receiving asylum applicants in 2022.
2. Includes main applicants and dependants.
3. Data for the UK is sourced from Home Office data.

Figure 5 shows that over the last 5 years (2018 to 2022), although the number of asylum seekers has increased by 85%, the UK received fewer applications than Germany, France or Spain.

Between 2021 and 2022, the number of applicants to Germany increased by around a quarter (22%), the number of applicants to France by around a third (30%), and the number of applicants to Spain by 85%. In comparison, the number of applicants to the UK increased by 53% in this latest calendar year. Three other EU+ countries saw notable increases in 2022 - Ireland, Croatia and Austria as shown in table 2 below.

Table 2: EU+ countries experiencing a high percentage increase in asylum applicants, 2021 to 2022

EU+ country	Number of applicants, 2021	Number of applicants, 2022	Percentage change
Austria	51,845	131,270	+153%
Croatia	4,255	17,625	+314%
Ireland	3,270	16,075	+392%

Source: Eurostat Asylum statistics

Notes:

1. Includes EU+ countries that received applications from over 10,000 applicants in 2022, and an increase of over 100% between 2021 and 2022.

3. Outcomes of asylum applications

3.1 At initial decision

In the year ending March 2023, there were 19,706 initial decisions made on asylum applications, 35% more than in the previous year. This suggests a return to pre-COVID-19 levels of decisions (20,766 decisions were made in 2019), which may be in part due to the increase in the number of asylum decision makers employed by the Home Office. Data on the number of staff in the asylum system is published in the ‘Immigration and Protection’ data of the Migration Transparency Data collection. As of 1 March 2023, there were 1,281 asylum decision makers, 48% higher than on 1 July 2022 (when there were 865).

Just under three-quarters (74%) of the initial decisions in the year ending March 2023 were grants of refugee status, humanitarian protection or alternative forms of leave. Since 2021, the grant rate has been between 72% and 77% - substantially higher than in pre-COVID-19 years when only around a third of initial decisions were grants. Prior to this, the previous high was over 30 years ago: 82% in 1990, although actual volumes were lower at that time – 4,025 initial decisions in 1990, compared with 19,706 in the year ending March 2023.

The overall grant rate can vary for a number of reasons, including the mix of nationalities applying for asylum, the protection needs of those who claim asylum in the UK, along with operational resourcing and policy decisions. Grant rates vary considerably by nationality as the protection needs of specific groups or individuals differ, usually depending on the situation in their home country. Currently, there are a large number of applications from individuals from recognised countries of conflict. The department is prioritising deciding older claims, high harm cases, those cases with extreme vulnerability, children and those in receipt of support.

Of the nationalities that commonly claim asylum in the UK, Afghans, Eritreans, Syrians and Sudanese typically have very high grant rates at initial decision (98%, 99%, 99% and 83% respectively). As noted, a significant proportion of the people applying for asylum in the UK at present are from nationalities who are seeing high grant rates. Albania is an exception - it was the top nationality claiming asylum in the year ending March 2023 but the grant rate for Albanian nationals over the same period was lower than the overall grant rate, at 34%. Similarly, India was the fourth most common nationality applying for asylum but had a grant rate of just 5%.

Within a nationality, the grant rate can vary. For example, despite the overall grant rate for Albanians in the year ending March 2023 being 34%, for Albanian adult men the grant rate was 5% and for Albanian adult women and children it was 83% and 46% respectively. The majority of recent Albanian small boat arrivals comprise of adult males.

Unlike most other nationalities applying for asylum, Albanians had a high rate of withdrawing their asylum applications (84% of outcomes on Albanian claims in the year ending March 2023 were withdrawals, compared to 18% for all other nationalities combined). The grant rates shown in this release typically exclude withdrawals as they are not a substantive decision. However, when including withdrawals, the grant rate for Albanian cases in the year ending March 2023 drops from 34% to 5% (compared to a reduction from 76% to 63% for other nationalities).

The grant rate in this release relates to cases receiving an initial decision in the year ending March 2023. However, these applications may have been made some time before. Therefore, the individuals being considered, and the latest grant rate, may not necessarily be indicative of the outcomes for claims made more recently.

3.2 At appeal

Some initial decisions (mainly, but not entirely, refusals) will go on to be appealed. Appeals against an initial decision made by the Home Office will be considered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), part of the Ministry of Justice.

There were 4,300 appeals lodged on initial decisions in the year ending March 2023. This is 15% more than in the year ending March 2022 and the first year-on-year increase since 2018.

Of the appeals determined in the year ending March 2023, around half (53%) were allowed (meaning the Home Office was asked to reconsider their decision). The proportion of appeals allowed has risen from 29% in 2010, when the time series began.

3.3 Applications awaiting outcomes

At the end of March 2023, there were 133,607 cases (relating to 172,758 people) awaiting an initial decision. This is 50% more than the number of applications awaiting an initial decision at the end of March 2022 (89,344, relating to 109,735 people). The number of cases awaiting an initial decision has increased over the last 10 years and more rapidly since 2018, when there were 22,100 cases awaiting an initial decision (at the end of March).

Of the 133,607 cases awaiting an initial decision, 78,954 (59%) applications were ‘legacy’ cases made before 28 June 2022, and 54,653 (41%) had been made on or after 28 June 2022 (referred to as ‘flow cases’).

The rise in cases awaiting an initial decision since 2018 is due to more cases entering the asylum system than receiving initial decisions.

Initial decision asylum backlogs have formed before. Previously published Home Office statistics show that the current backlog is slightly larger than the previous peak in backlog seen in 1999 (around 125,000 main applicants). For more information, see The Migration Observatory’s article on the asylum backlog.

Data on the total number of outstanding cases in the asylum system (‘asylum work in progress’) is published in the ‘Immigration and Protection’ data of the Migration Transparency Data collection. This data includes cases awaiting initial decisions and appeal outcomes, as well as failed asylum seekers that are subject to removal from the UK and numbers of staff in the asylum system. The latest data available (for the end of June 2022) shows a total of 166,085 cases as ‘work in progress’ in the asylum system as a whole.

Figure 6: Number of applications awaiting an initial decision, as at 31 March 2014 to 2023 ^1,2

Source: Asylum applications awaiting an initial decision – Asy_D03

Notes:

1. Includes main applicants only.
2. Figures include the number of people awaiting a decision as at the end of the period, rather than the total throughout the period.

4. Inadmissibility

From 1 January 2021, following the UK’s departure from the EU, updated inadmissibility rules came into effect. The inadmissibility rules provide the grounds for treating an asylum claim as inadmissible to the UK asylum system, if a person has earlier presence in, or connection to, a safe third country. It also provides for the person to be removed to that or another safe third country, with that country’s permission.

Between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2023:

• 55,447 asylum claimants were identified for consideration on inadmissibility grounds
• 24,083 ‘notices of intent’ were issued to individuals, to inform them that their case was being reviewed to determine whether removal action on inadmissibility grounds was appropriate and possible
• 83 individuals were served with inadmissibility decisions, meaning the UK would not admit the asylum claim for consideration in the UK system, because another country was considered to be responsible for the claim, owing to the claimant’s previous presence in, or connection to a safe country
• there were 23 enforced removals of individuals considered for removal on inadmissibility grounds
• 27,644 individuals were subsequently admitted into the UK asylum process for substantive consideration of their asylum claim

The 23 returns were made to Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

For further information, including breakdowns of the data by quarter and nationality, see Asy_09a and Asy_09b of the summary tables.

5. Support provided to asylum seekers

People in the asylum system who are destitute receive support from the UK Government. This could be the provision of accommodation, subsistence (cash support) or both, overseen by the Home Office.

At the end of March 2023, there were 112,294 individuals in receipt of asylum support, 32% higher than at the end of March 2022. This continues the long-term trend of increasing numbers in receipt of support, which grew more rapidly following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when the ‘Home Office temporarily ceased ending asylum support’ for those whose claims have been either granted or refused, to ensure people were not made homeless during ‘lockdown’. The increase more recently is related to rising asylum applications and the consequent increase in the number of cases in the asylum system.

Of the 112,294 individuals in receipt of support:

• 42% were in hotel accommodation
• 54% were in other accommodation
• 4% were in receipt of subsistence support only

Data on asylum seekers on support by local authority is published in Asylum seekers in receipt of support by local authority – Asy_D11.

6. About the statistics

This section provides information on those applying for and granted protection in the UK through both asylum and resettlement routes. Further data relating to asylum and resettlement can be found in our data tables, and further details on the statistics can be found in the user guide.

The data is used to assess the trends in numbers of people seeking and being granted protection, the effect of policy changes, and to understand the demographics of those coming to the UK to claim protection. Data on resettlement and support, broken down by local authority, can help local authorities understand the demands on their services and resources to aid with planning.

The majority of asylum and resettlement data is extracted from the Home Office’s Case Information Database (CID). Data is transitioning from CID to new system Atlas in stages and therefore published numbers may be revised in future quarters following this period of change. From the February 2023 release, data from Atlas was incorporated for the first time. Ongoing data quality checks do not at present suggest any large impacts from these changes will be apparent.

6.1 Asylum, resettlement and protection

An asylum applicant (also referred to as ‘asylum seekers’) is someone who makes a claim to be recognised as a refugee under the ‘Refugee Convention’ and receive protection and assistance. Asylum applicants will receive a decision on their application, which may be a grant of refugee status, humanitarian protection, or another form of permission to stay, or a refusal.

Section 12 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (the ‘2022 Act’), which came into effect on 28 June, contains the power to differentiate between 2 groups of refugees (who applied on or after 28 June 2022) and to treat each group differently by offering different entitlements. Such entitlements include but are not limited to length of permission to stay, route to settlement, access to family reunion, and recourse to public funds. Individuals who come to the UK directly, claim asylum without delay, and are able to show good cause for any illegal entry or presence, will be recognised as ‘Group 1 refugees’. Those who fail to meet one or more of these requirements will be ‘Group 2 refugees’ and may be given lesser entitlements as a result. For example, ‘Group 2 refugees’ are granted a minimum of 30 months permission to stay, compared to a minimum of 5 years for ‘Group 1 refugees’. Initial decisions for refugee status are shown separately in the tables (‘Refugee Permission’ for group 1, ‘Temporary Refugee Permission’ for group 2). Between 28 June 2022 and 31 March 2023, 13,583 people were granted refugee permission, of which 12,835 applied for asylum before 28 June 2022 and 748 applied for asylum on or after 28 June 2022. In January to March 2023, 3,789 people were granted refugee permission, of which 3,385 applied for asylum before 28 June 2022 and 404 applied for asylum on or after 28 June 2022.

Refugees in other countries can also be given protection in the UK via resettlement schemes. The UK works with the UN Refugee Agency (the ‘UNHCR’) to arrange for the transfer of refugees from an asylum country to the UK, with the aim of ultimately granting them permanent residence. The statistics in this release do not include all resettlement of Afghan staff (and their families) who have supported British efforts in Afghanistan, since 2013. This release includes data on resettlement through ‘Pathway 1’, ‘Pathway 2’ and ‘Pathway 3’ of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). For further information, see the ‘Home Office Afghan resettlement and immigration policy statement’.

A family reunion visa allows partners and children of those previously granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK to reunite with them here.

The total number of individuals granted protection includes grants related to an asylum application (grants of refugee permission, temporary refugee permission or alternative forms of leave) and resettlement. Alternative forms of leave include humanitarian protection, discretionary leave, UASC leave, leave outside the rules, and grants under family and private life rules.

Data on asylum applications relates to the period in which the application was lodged, and initial decisions relate to the period in which the decision was made. Initial decisions may, therefore, relate to an application made in an earlier period, and thus the 2 are not directly comparable.

Data on initial decisions will not represent the total number of people granted refugee status or other protection as some initial decisions may be overturned following appeal. Data on the number of appeals lodged, and their outcomes, is published in ‘Asylum appeals lodged and determined – Asy_D06 and Asy_D07’.

UASC data includes those treated as an unaccompanied minor for at least one day between the date of application and the date of initial decision. Some UASC applicants may subsequently be found to be an adult following conclusion of an age dispute. Data on age disputes is published in Age Disputes – Asy_D05.

6.2 Support provided to asylum seekers

The data on support includes support provided under Section 95, Section 98 and Section 4. Further details on these types of support can be found in the user guide.

The data shows the number of people in receipt of support on a given day, but do not show the length of time for which someone receives support or the amount of support they receive.

6.3 Inadmissibility

The inadmissibility rules provide the grounds for treating an asylum claim as inadmissible to the UK asylum system, if a person has earlier presence in, or connection to, a safe third country. It also provides for the person to be removed to that or another safe third country, with that country’s permission.

From 1 January 2021, following the UK’s departure from the EU, updated ‘inadmissibility rules’ came into effect. Prior to the UK leaving the EU, most inadmissibility decisions were made according to the ‘Dublin Regulation’, which for the cases in its remit, established the criteria and mechanisms for determining which state was responsible for examining an application for international protection. Further details can be found in the user guide.

Data on inadmissibility is taken from internal Home Office management information and should be considered provisional. The data covers the following:

1. ‘Identified for consideration’, is where an asylum case might be suitable for a refusal on inadmissibility grounds. Case working teams will review available information to determine whether a case may be appropriate for decisions under the third country inadmissibility provisions in the Immigration Rules. If they assess that inadmissibility action might be appropriate, they will issue an individual with a ‘notice of intent’.
2. ‘Notice of intent issued’, is an information letter to the claimant, to inform them that their claim is being considered under inadmissibility rules. It is not a formal decision.
3. ‘Inadmissibility decision served’ and ‘Removals’, if the case meets the inadmissibility requirements, and another country accepts the applicants return the Home Office will treat the asylum application as inadmissible under the inadmissibility rules and arrange the return. The returns figures include all enforced removals of those entering the inadmissibility process. Some of these removals may have been for reasons other than inadmissibility. For the total number of asylum-related returns (beyond those in the inadmissibility process), see the Returns summary table Ret_05.
4. ‘Subsequently admitted into UK asylum process’, following consideration on inadmissibility grounds, where there is insufficient evidence to meet the requirements of the inadmissibility rules, or another country has not accepted responsibility for the claim within a reasonable timescale, then the asylum claim will be fully considered in the UK. Cases are counted in our total asylum applications when they initially submit their application, and they are not counted again if they later get subsequently admitted into the UK asylum process following consideration on inadmissibility grounds.

Data on transfers into and out of the UK under the Dublin Regulation (prior to the UK leaving the EU) is available in Dub_D01.

6.4 International comparisons

Eurostat asylum statistics can be used to compare asylum statistics with EU member states. Eurostat data is not directly comparable with other Home Office Immigration System Statistics data. Eurostat figures combine main applicants and dependants, and as such that is how comparative UK statistics are presented in this section. For a full list of differences between Eurostat and Home Office asylum statistics, see the user guide.

7. Data tables

Data referred to here can be found in the following tables:

• Asylum and resettlement summary tables
• Detailed asylum and resettlement datasets

Additional data relating to asylum, protection and resettlement published in earlier Immigration System Statistics releases include:

• Transfers to the UK under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016
• Asylum claims on the basis of sexual orientation

We welcome your feedback

If you have any comments or suggestions for the development of this report, please provide feedback by emailing ‘MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk’. Please include the words ‘PUBLICATION FEEDBACK’ in the subject of your email.

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems or have any feedback relating to accessibility, please email us.

See section 6 of the ‘About this release’ section for more details.