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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Politics
Ian Jones

UK asylum system: Key numbers, trends and definitions

More than 90,000 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application in the UK at the end of June 2025 (Alamy/PA) -

The Government is planning to change the UK’s asylum laws, including lengthening from five years to 20 years the period a refugee has to wait before being able to claim permanent settlement.

Here the PA news agency looks at the latest available data on people moving through the asylum system, including the number waiting for a decision on their claim and who are in special accommodation, as well as those who go on to settle in the UK.

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