Asylum Decision Backlog Falls 56% While Immigration Tribunal Caseload Continues to Grow

The number of people awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim fell by 56% over the year to June 2026, according to the Home Office.

At the end of June, 40,168 people, relating to 32,401 cases, were waiting for an initial asylum decision.

This was the lowest number of people awaiting an initial decision since June 2019.

However, separate figures from the Ministry of Justice show that the First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber continues to face growing demand.

What progress has been made?

The Home Office recorded 115,872 people receiving initial asylum decisions in the 12 months ending June 2026.

Of these, 42,394 were granted protection or other permission to remain, while 73,478 were refused at the initial decision stage.

The overall initial grant rate for main applicants was 38%, compared with 48% in the previous year.

The Home Office says the improvement in initial decision processing reflects increased decision-making activity and operational changes.

What is happening with immigration appeals?

Ministry of Justice statistics published on 10 September reveal that the First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber had an open caseload of approximately 156,000 cases at the end of June 2026.

This represented a 48% increase compared with the same period in 2025.

The tribunal received approximately 22,000 cases during April to June 2026 and disposed of around 17,000.

Although the number of cases completed increased, new cases continued to outnumber those resolved.

The tribunal handles multiple immigration and asylum-related categories, meaning the 156,000 figure should not be treated as an asylum-only backlog.

How long are appeals taking?

The Ministry of Justice reported that asylum and protection appeals took an average of 72 weeks to clear during the April-to-June quarter.

This highlights the difference between making an initial immigration decision and bringing a disputed case to a final outcome.

Where a person has the right to appeal, a refusal may not represent the conclusion of their case.

What does this mean for the asylum system?

A reduction in the initial decision backlog is a significant development, but it does not necessarily mean that the overall immigration casework system has cleared its outstanding cases.

Appeals, judicial reviews and removal processes can all extend the time before a case is finally resolved.

This distinction is important when assessing government announcements about progress on asylum processing.

Keep Updated UK will continue monitoring the full immigration process, from initial applications through appeals and final case outcomes.