Number of UK asylum seekers awaiting appeals up by nearly 500% in two years

The charity says the Home Office’s effort to clear the backlog has resulted in a rise in errors and omissions. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA

The number of asylum seekers left in limbo as they appeal against a rejected asylum application has risen by nearly 500% over two years, putting renewed pressure on the taxpayer, an analysis by the Refugee Council has found.

Figures released by the Ministry of Justice show that at the end of 2024 there were 41,987 asylum appeals in the tribunal courts’ backlog, up from 7,173 at the start of 2023.