The count of asylum seekers accommodated in UK hotels has fallen by half over the past twelve months.

Analysis from Dr Nuni Jorgenson at the University of Oxford attributes this reduction to quicker processing of asylum applications.

Official Home Office data shows 16,021 individuals awaiting asylum decisions were staying in hotels as of the end of June 2026.

This represents a 50 percent decrease from the 32,041 recorded in the same period the previous year and marks the lowest figure since monitoring began in 2022.

At the Grenoble Road facility, migrants remain resident with no indication from official sources regarding when operations might cease.

Dr Jorgenson, affiliated with the university’s Migration Observatory, observed that during its initial two-year term, the administration has advanced toward its commitment to phase out hotel accommodation for asylum cases.

This has been achieved principally through accelerating case determinations.

While this approach diminished the original caseload awaiting initial rulings, it has created pressure on judicial appeal processes.

The primary caseload awaiting first-instance decisions now stands at a comparatively modest level, with most determinations concluded within several months.

The most significant hurdle confronting the administration now lies in the accumulation of appeals awaiting court hearings.

The decline in hotel occupancy occurred alongside a 4 percent expansion in the use of dispersal accommodation, encompassing privately rented houses and apartments.

The number of individuals in such arrangements increased from 66,234 to 69,038 during the same timeframe.

Despite this growth, the total number of claimants accessing government support declined by 12 percent, falling from 106,075 to 93,293.

Expenditure linked to asylum matters decreased by 8 percent, reaching £4.36 billion during the 2025-26 financial year.

This constitutes the second successive year of reduced spending in this area.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that following more than two years in administration, the backlog of asylum cases has decreased, hotel occupancy numbers continue their downward trajectory, arrests for illegal employment have reached unprecedented levels, and deportation and return operations have increased substantially.

Channel crossing numbers have also declined, though the administration maintains that continued effort is necessary.

The current administration is re-establishing border management and proportionality within the immigration framework.

The Labour administration has committed to eliminating hotel usage for asylum purposes before the current parliamentary session concludes.

Thirteen additional hotels ceased operations earlier this month, reducing the active total to fewer than 160 establishments, considerably below the previous high of approximately 400.

Returns of migrants who entered the United Kingdom via small boats, encompassing both compulsory and voluntary departures, reached 1,099 during the April to June quarter.

This figure substantially exceeded the 695 recorded in the preceding quarter.

Across the full year ending in June, 3,310 such individuals were returned, with Albanian nationals comprising 40 percent of this group.

Home Office statistics published on Thursday further indicated that new asylum applications decreased by 21 percent.

A total of 85,891 individuals submitted applications in the twelve months concluding in June 2026, compared with 108,585 during the prior twelve-month period.