Pakistanis now largest group of asylum seekers in UK with 11,000 applications; UK minister promises 'strong action'

Pakistanis made up the largest group of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom over the past year, new figures from the Home Office have revealed. Between April 2024 and March 2025, a total of 11,048 Pakistanis applied for asylum, accounting for 10.1% of all applications.

This is a significant rise from the previous year, when 7,003 Pakistani nationals applied, placing them third on the list at the time, with 7.5% of total claims.

UK sees highest-ever annual asylum applications

Overall, the UK received 109,343 asylum applications in the year to March 2025, the highest number recorded for any 12 months since current records began in 2001. That’s a 17% increase from the 93,150 applications recorded in the previous year.

This also surpasses the earlier record of 108,138 asylum claims made in the year ending December 2024.

Afghan and Syrian nationals follow closely behind

Afghan nationals were the second largest group of asylum seekers this year, with 8,069 applications, making up 7.4% of the total. That’s a drop from the 9,738 Afghan claims (10.5%) recorded in 2023–24, when they topped the list.

Syrian nationals also saw a notable increase in asylum requests, with 6,175 applications in 2024–25, up from 4,232 the year before. They now account for 5.6% of the total.

Small boat arrivals contribute to rising numbers

The figures also show that around 33% of asylum seekers in the past year arrived after crossing the English Channel in small boats, a continued concern for UK immigration authorities.

Despite the surge in claims, the backlog of pending asylum cases has dropped to its lowest level in years.

Backlog drops, but tens of thousands still waiting

By the end of March 2025, 109,536 people were waiting for an initial decision on their asylum claim. That’s a 12% drop from 124,802 cases in December 2024, and the lowest figure since December 2021.

The backlog had reached a peak of 175,457 cases in June 2023, the highest since current records began in 2010.

Of those still waiting, 67,373 people had been in limbo for more than six months, though that’s down from 73,866 at the end of December and far below the 139,961 long-term cases seen in mid-2023.

Deportations rise as UK boosts immigration enforcement

Separate Home Office figures show a slight drop in enforced returns, with 2,312 removals recorded from January to March 2025, down from 2,365 in the previous quarter. However, both figures are higher than in any quarter since 2018.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper commented on the growing enforcement efforts, saying, “We have substantially increased immigration enforcement, taking strong action to return more foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers who have no right to be in the UK."

“The work of Immigration Enforcement teams to substantially increase illegal working raids, returns and deportations is an important part of strengthening our border security," she added.

“As part of the Immigration White Paper reforms, we will strengthen the rules so that more foreign national offenders can be returned,” Yvette said.