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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor

Number of refugees allowed to settle in UK under UN schemes falls 26% in a year

Britain’s home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, departs Downing Street following a cabinet meeting
Britain’s home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, says the UK will soon open new legal routes for refugees to use. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

The number of refugees allowed to settle in the UK under UN-facilitated schemes has dropped by more than a quarter in a year, according to figures released by the Home Office.

Just 7,271 people were granted protection through refugee resettlement programmes in the year ending September 2025, about half of whom were Afghans whose lives were at risk after an accidental data breach by a UK defence official.

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