The UK has recorded its highest-ever number of asylum applications, with over 108,000 people seeking refuge in 2024, according to new government data. This marks an 18% increase from the previous year’s 91,811 applications, surpassing the previous record of 103,081 set in 2002.
The surge comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer pushes for stricter immigration policies, particularly targeting undocumented migrants arriving via small boats across the English Channel. Starmer’s Labour government faces mounting pressure to curb migration, especially after Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party garnered around four million votes in the recent general election.
Pakistani nationals led the asylum applications, making up 9.7% (10,542) of total requests, while Vietnamese applications more than doubled to 5,259 from 2,469 in the previous year.
After taking office in July, Starmer abandoned former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda deportation scheme. Instead, his administration has focused on dismantling human smuggling networks and expediting asylum decisions.
Border Security and Asylum Minister Angela Eagle reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tightening migration policies, stating that legal migration must be brought down after the previous administration saw net migration quadruple in four years.
Despite efforts to manage the influx, 124,802 people were still awaiting initial asylum decisions by the end of 2024. Additionally, undocumented Channel crossings accounted for 32% of total claims, with 36,816 people making the journey in 2024—slightly higher than the previous year.
With immigration remaining a key political battleground, the UK government faces growing scrutiny over how it balances border security with humanitarian obligations.
