It will heap pressure on ministers to ramp up efforts to stop Channel migrant crossings and end the scandal of people claiming asylum after arriving on a visitor, study or work visa.
Shabana Mahmood is under intense pressure to end the asylum crisis (Image: Getty)
Britain’s asylum crisis is continuing to spin out of control with 110,051 claims in the past 12 months.
New Home Office figures show a surge in Channel migrants claiming protection, following a rise in small boat crossings and an increase in foreign nationals claiming asylum after arriving in the UK on visas.
And the number of migrants living in hotels has surged to 36,273, as Labour struggles to close them down.
This is up from 32,041 in the year to June and 29,561 in the twelve months to June 2024.
A staggering 41,461 asylum seekers arrived in the UK with a valid work, study or visitor visa, Home Office figures reveal.
Of the 41,461 claimants, 34% (14,243) held a study visa, 32% (13,427) held a work visa, 20% (8,258) held a visitor visa and 13% held other forms of leave.
It will heap pressure on ministers to ramp up efforts to stop Channel migrant crossings and end the scandal of people claiming asylum after arriving on a visitor, study or work visa.
Shocking new figures published on Wednesday revealed spending on asylum accommodation will be £10bn higher than first predicted.
Figures show sharp increases in asylum claims from Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals.
Alongside Afghans, Eritreans and Iranians, they make up the top 5 nationalities.
And they account for 40% of all asylum claims.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves had pledged to cut asylum spending by £1 billion, but this was dismissed as a fantasy in the analysis of her Budget statement.
The Office for Budget Responsibility said the number of small boat arrivals, and the number of asylum seekers in housing, had risen.
And the OBR said: “Demand for asylum accommodation has also grown and is now expected to cost £15.3 billion over the next 10 years, revised up from the Home Office’s previous estimate of £4.5 billion.”
It said: “The Home Office Spending Review settlement was made on the basis that the Home Office would fully stop the use of hotels for asylum-seekers in this Parliament, and asylum spending would be £1.1 billion lower at £2.5 billion in 2028-29 compared to 2025-26 plans.
“So far this year, the number of migrants arriving by small boat and asylum seekers in supported accommodation has risen by 19 and 8 per cent, respectively, compared to last year. If spending on asylum remained at its 2024-25 level, this would imply £1.4 billion of additional pressure on the Home Office budget by 2028-29.”
Under Labour’s plans, asylum seekers will be granted temporary protection in the UK, with reviews every 30 months to determine whether their home country is safe for them to be returned home.
And the Government will target families whose asylum claims have been refused for deportation, creating another potential flashpoint with Labour MPs.
The Home Office is also looking at forcibly deporting Syrians again following the brutal civil war which ravaged the Middle Eastern country.
Human rights laws will be overhauled to limit how failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals can claim a right to a family life.
A family will be defined as “parents and their children”, under new Home Office plans.
But Ms Mahmood has also vowed to create more safe and legal routes to the UK.
The Home Secretary will set an annual cap on arrivals through safe and legal routes, “based on community capacity”.
There will be capped routes for refugees, displaced students and skilled refugees.
This will be “flexible” to respond to global crises.
