UK immigration: Asylum appeal backlog at record high, figures show

Ministry of Justice figures show nearly 87,500 asylum appeals were pending at the end of March 2026, a 70% year-on-year increase. While the government has cut the initial decision backlog, the total caseload (initial and appeals) stands at 123,194, higher than when Labour took office. Cabinet minister Hilary Benn defended the progress, but Peter Walsh from the Migration Observatory said one backlog is being shifted to another. The government plans to use independent adjudicators to speed up appeals.