UK asylum claims: main applicants and dependants
UK asylum claims: main applicants and dependants stood at 17,233 people in Q2 2026, according to Home Office — Immigration system statistics. It is one of the indicators in the Immigration, quarterly table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 2001 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Immigration, quarterly table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asylum claims | |||||||||||
| All claims (main applicants and dependants) | 17,233 | 15,956 | 22,400 | 30,302 | 27,369 | 21,840 | 30,151 | 29,225 | 23,880 | 21,508 | |
| Main applicants | 14,325 | 12,736 | 18,346 | 24,441 | 22,491 | 17,281 | 24,573 | 23,016 | 18,143 | 16,636 |
Understanding UK asylum claims: main applicants and dependants
The combined total of primary individuals seeking international protection and their associated family members who formally register protection requests with authorities across the United Kingdom. This metric captures the broadest possible measure of initial protection demand by uniting independent claimants with their registered dependents under a single caseload umbrella. It differs from subsequent sibling series by refusing to separate individuals based on familial status or initial contact location. Every new protection filing processed by intake units during the quarterly observation window forms part of this aggregate count.
Reading this series necessitates accounting for sudden geopolitical shocks and shifting international transit patterns that can cause rapid fluctuations across the United Kingdom. Analysts should rely on longer-term trends rather than immediate period-on-period shifts, because initial intake numbers frequently experience minor retrospective data cleaning. Comparing these figures directly with visa grant data is inappropriate, as protection seekers operate under entirely separate international legal frameworks and domestic statutory rules.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is classified as a dependant in these protection figures?
- Dependants typically include spouses, civil partners, and minor children who are formally linked to the primary claimant's application.
- Does this count include people who entered the country illegally?
- Yes, the protection system processes claims regardless of the applicant's method of arrival or documentation status upon entry.
- Are withdrawn claims included in this total?
- The figure counts all formal claims lodged, though subsequent withdrawals are tracked separately in the administrative decision stages.