Home Office · asylum system · 30 June 2026

The decision queue fell to 40,168.So why are 93,293 people receiving support?

The Home Office statistics count different stages. The queue ends at the initial decision; support can continue during an appeal or after a claim has failed. Confusing them makes one shorter queue look like a smaller system.

The support count was 2.32 times the initial-decision count.
Awaiting an initial decision40,16856% fewer in one year

the lowest level since June 2019

Receiving asylum support93,29312% fewer in one year

people at several procedural stages

2.32×The support count was 2.32 times the initial-decision count.

Inside the support count of 93,293

Hotel use fell. Other accommodation increased slightly.

Why can the counts move so differently?

The initial-decision queue ends when the Home Office issues its first decision. A person's administrative journey may continue. An appeal, a failed claim, or a move into another support system does not disappear on that date.

The Home Office says the disparity indicates that most supported people are elsewhere in the asylum system. The source does not provide a complete current breakdown that assigns every supported person to one exact stage.

How the figures are defined

Initial decision
People with an asylum claim for which the Home Office had not issued its first decision by 30 June 2026. The 40,168 people related to 32,401 cases.
Asylum support
People receiving accommodation, subsistence support, or both at 30 June 2026. The total comes from table Asy_D09.
Comparison
I divided 93,293 by 40,168 and rounded to two decimal places. The ratio compares two counts; it does not describe an individual's route through the system.

Sources and review date

The figures come from accredited official statistics published by the Home Office on 27 August 2026. This page will be checked at the next quarterly release or by 27 November 2026.

  1. 01Home Office, How many people are in the UK asylum system?, 27 August 2026
  2. 02Home Office, Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2026
  3. 03Home Office, data tables Asy_D03 and Asy_D09
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