JAKARTA - Pakistani nationals made up the largest nationality group among people claiming asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2026, according to Home Office statistics published on May 21.
The department said Pakistan, Eritrea, Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sudan were the top six nationalities and together represented 46% of claimants.
The latest release showed 93,525 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2026, down 12% from the previous year. The Home Office said the total remained much higher than levels recorded before 2021, despite the latest annual decline.
The department said Pakistan and Bangladesh had both seen asylum claim numbers rise from pre-2021 levels. It said the majority of claimants from both countries held a visa or other leave before claiming asylum, rather than arriving through illegal entry routes such as small boats.
The Home Office said, “To apply for asylum in the UK, an individual must be in the country; there is no specific ‘asylum entry route’.” It said people seeking asylum may arrive through different routes, including small boats, clandestine entry, visas or other forms of leave.
In the latest year, 42% of asylum seekers, or 38,980 people, had arrived by small boat before claiming asylum. Another 39%, or 36,711 people, had previously entered the UK on a visa or other leave with relevant documentation, including electronic travel authorization.
Among the 36,711 claimants who had held a visa or other leave before claiming asylum, 13,994 held a work visa, 10,835 held a study visa, 7,048 held a visitor visa and 4,834 held other forms of leave. The Home Office said claims from people who held a study visa before claiming asylum fell 30%, following restrictions on student dependents that took effect back in January 2024.
The Home Office said asylum claimants from Eritrea, Iran and Sudan mostly arrived through illegal entry routes such as small boats. It also said more than three-fifths of people claiming asylum in the year ending March 2026 were adult males, and 3,627 claims, or 4%, came from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.