More than 108,000 individuals submitted asylum applications in the United Kingdom last year, as revealed by government data released on Thursday.
This figure marks the highest volume of asylum requests in a single year since record-keeping began in 2001.
The total reflects an 18 percent increase from the 91,811 requests filed in 2023.
The previous record was set in 2002, with 103,081 applications.
The spike in asylum applications occurs amid growing pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to manage migration effectively.
Starmer has committed to strengthening immigration regulations, making it nearly impossible for undocumented migrants arriving by boat from the English Channel to obtain citizenship.
His Labour government is facing scrutiny following the successful performance of the far-right Reform UK party in the last general elections, where they garnered approximately four million votes.
The data indicates that Pakistani nationals represented the largest group of applicants, accounting for 9.7 percent of all asylum requests.
There was also a notable increase in applications from Vietnamese nationals, whose numbers rose significantly to 5,259, compared to 2,469 the previous year.
Since taking office in July, Starmer has abandoned the controversial policy of his predecessor to deport new arrivals to Rwanda as a deterrent against illegal migration.
Instead, he aims to dismantle people-smuggling networks and reduce the number of unauthorized entries into the UK.
Border Security and Asylum Minister Angela Eagle announced that efforts are underway to expedite asylum decision-making processes and enforce returns for those whose claims are denied.
As of December 2024, approximately 124,802 people were awaiting initial decisions on their asylum applications.
Eagle also highlighted the government’s commitment to decreasing legal migration, which has reached historically high levels. Net migration for the year 2023-2024 stood at 728,000, down from a record high of 906,000 the year prior.
“We are ensuring that legal migration continues to decline after the previous government considerably increased net migration,” Eagle stated.
The government plans to reverse some of the relaxed visa requirements instituted by the former administration.
Undocumented migrants arriving in small boats accounted for 32 percent of asylum claims in 2024, with approximately 36,816 individuals crossing from France to England, reflecting a slight increase from the previous year.
