The Memo: Is the overhaul of the asylum system overdue or overdramatised?

The semantic change of the term ‘immigrant’ is widespread. Initially, it referred to a person who left their country of origin and intended to take up permanent residence in the country they have moved to. However, the word has gained pejorative traction in today’s world with political parties volleying it in an attempt to gain popularity in polls. Most notably, the term is often used when discussing people seeking asylum within the UK. 

With rising public pressure, and a backlog of asylum appeals, Yvette Cooper (the former Home Secretary) announced plans to change the current appeals system back in August. Under the current system, there is a 24-week limit for asylum seekers to appeal their cases to the higher tribunals. However, officials have reported that this is taking closer to 53 weeks. Cooper’s proposed system hoped to provide statutory powers to a new commission who would be tasked with hearing the appeals. This would mean that tribunals would no longer hear asylum appeals, and responsibility for people’s claims would instead be given to independent adjudicators.  

As of August 2025, the First-tier Tribunal held a backlog of 106,000 cases. On the surface, it seems that decisions on initial asylum claims have sped up, and so the next step for the government is to rightfully tackle the asylum appeals. However, an acceleration in claims, alongside an increase in appeals, indicates a spike in refusals made.  

The Refugee Council argues that these refusals are due to legislation introduced by the previous government, which was aimed at increasing the difficulty in claims being accepted. A side effect of this has been a vast reduction in asylum claims granted to Afghans. This has thus resulted in more appeals. Additionally, during Suella Braverman’s time as Home Secretary, a large number of caseworkers were recruited to deal with the backlog of asylum claims. Though on the face of it this should have resulted in a reduction of claims, issues arose as the caseworkers were new recruits lacking the necessary know-how to make decisions. This instead contributed to an increase in appeals. 

As a result, the government quickly exhausted accommodation reserved for asylum seekers awaiting decisions and were forced to house them in hotels (with over 30,000 of them currently taking residence). This has been met with some opposition, with high-profile protests outside the hotels temporarily housing asylum seekers over the summer. 

While asylum seekers await a decision on their claims, they are provided with a weekly allowance of £49.18 where accommodation is self-catered, and only £9.95 for catered residencies. They are not permitted to work unless they have been waiting for longer than a year for their claim to be heard.  

Shabana Mahmood replaced Cooper as Home Secretary in September. She has promised to review the modern slavery laws as she believes that asylum seekers are “suddenly deciding that they are a modern slave on the eve of their removal.” This has been refuted by legal sources who argue that claims are being submitted late due to the Home Office’s failures to identify known slavery routes, and advice provided to asylum seekers at a delay as a result of gaps in government policy.