Number of asylum seekers staying in hotels jumps up by 4,000 in three months

Number of asylum seekers staying in hotels jumps up by 4,000 in three months Luke Alsford Published November 27, 2025 10:13am Updated November 27, 2025 10:55am Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments A number of hotels have been met with local protests (Picture: Shutterstock)

Thousands more asylum seekers were housed in hotels over the summer, official data shows.

New statistics published by the Home Office this morning shows that 4,232 more asylum seekers were staying in hotels at the end of September 2025 compared to in June 2025.

This means that a total of 36,273 asylum seekers were being put up in hotels across the country, an increase of 13 per cent over the summer.

It is not clear what the figure is currently as of today.

The numbers are also higher than the end of September last year, when 35,628 asylum seekers were in hotels.

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New figures published today reveal that 898,000 people came to the UK in the year ending June 2025, while 693,000 people emigrated out of the country.

This means that net migration – the overall total of immigration and emigration – stands at 204,000 people, which is the lowest figure since 2021.

It is also down 69 percent, more than two-thirds, from 649,000 net migration the year prior.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who vowed to close every single asylum hotel, said: ‘Net migration is at its lowest level in half a decade and has fallen by more than two-thirds under this government.

‘But we are going further because the pace and scale of migration has placed immense pressure on local communities.

‘Last week, I announced reforms to our migration system to ensure that those who come here must contribute and put in more than they take out.’

Asylum seekers being housed in The Bell Hotel sparked a legal challenge by Epping council (Picture: TOLGA AKMEN/EPA/Shutterstock)

A spokesperson for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said net migration numbers should not be treated as a ‘crisis’ or as ‘something to celebrate.’

They continued: ‘But the government treats it as both, stoking a panic of its own making. 

‘Some politicians and media outlets have spread misinformation and falsehoods and sought to scapegoat migrants for their own ends.

‘This fixation is a distraction at its core and keeps migration at the centre of debate while real issues are pushed aside.

‘While they talk about numbers, people are living with crumbling housing, rising prices and a cost of living crisis that deepens each month.

‘We need to stop playing along with the hate. Movement is human. People move. We always have and we always will.’

Shabana Mahmood has vowed to close down asylum hotels (Picture: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA)

The Home Office’s data also reveal that 111,651 people are now receiving taxpayer-funded asylum support, up nearly 5,600 in three months.

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This is below the peak of just under 124,000 hit in September 2023.

Since July, 9,600 children were granted asylum by the government and the asylum applications backlog fell by 12 per cent down to 62,000 cases.

This is a breaking news story and is being updated.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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