Overview
- The appeals caseload almost doubled in a year, rising from 41,987 at the end of 2024 to 80,333 at the end of 2025, according to MoJ data.
- The quarterly success rate fell to 36%, down from 46% a year earlier and the lowest since 2015.
- Roughly 42% of asylum appeals were withdrawn in the most recent quarter, reportedly largely by the Home Office to reconsider cases.
- For the first time, the appeal queue is larger than the initial-decision backlog, with 64,426 people awaiting an initial decision at the end of December 2025.
- The Refugee Council says many people remain in hotels or other asylum accommodation and urges better first-time decisions to cut delays and costs.