The Home Office has acknowledged it has lost track of migrants with no legal right to remain in the UK, though it remains uncertain of the exact number. This admission has been labelled a "shocking and unacceptable" indictment of the asylum system by members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
MPs demand transparency on failed asylum seekers
MPs on the cross-party committee are urging the government to disclose the number of failed asylum seekers residing in the UK, outline plans to locate them, and detail deportation procedures. In a critical report published on Friday, they asserted that the Home Office continues to rely on "short-term fixes" for escalating costs and backlogs, lacking a "credible long-term strategy" to reduce the billions spent on housing migrants in hotels.
Home Office officials informed the PAC that while they know the whereabouts of some failed asylum seekers—those who have exhausted appeal rights—others who are not complying with bail conditions are considered absconders and will be traced. However, the department admitted it does "not count absolutely everybody out of the country," leaving gaps in knowledge about who has left or remains.
Missing numbers and accommodation concerns
Although the Home Office does not publish figures on lost-track failed asylum seekers, ministers acknowledged in 2024 that over 5,000 were missing. At that time, 5,598 asylum seekers with withdrawn claims were still in the UK but had lost contact with authorities. MPs also criticised the management of asylum accommodation contracts, noting that while the Home Office claimed to have clawed back £46 million in excess profit from providers, this highlighted weaknesses in contract design rather than effective oversight.
The report calls for a full review of hotel contracts to assess profit levels. Asylum support costs reached approximately £4 billion in 2024-25, with £2.1 billion spent on hotels. The number of asylum seekers in hotels has dropped from a peak of 56,042 in September 2023 to 20,885 as of March 2026, with more individuals now housed in dispersal accommodation like houses of multiple occupancy or large sites such as former military bases. Despite progress, MPs warned there is no credible long-term strategy to expand dispersal accommodation and cautioned against scaling up larger sites.
Local councils under pressure
The report highlights that increasing numbers of asylum seekers are presenting as homeless to councils after being evicted from Home Office accommodation, shifting pressure onto local authorities. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the PAC, described the findings as "a disturbing picture," criticising the focus on short-term reactive fixes that push pressures around the system without a clear strategy. He also condemned the handling of a former prison site in Bexhill, East Sussex, initially earmarked for migrant accommodation but now slated for housing development, questioning why accommodation deemed unfit for asylum seekers is considered suitable for the homeless.
The government has stated that the site will be developed by Homes England in partnership with the local council and community.
Political reactions
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp blamed the government for scrapping removal mechanisms, noting that over 73,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the Channel under Labour. Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said the report exposes the government's failure to fix the broken system left by the Conservatives. Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, argued that while initial decisions have been sped up, poor quality decisions shift people from one backlog to another, with soaring appeals. Imran Hussain of the Refugee Council urged the government to rethink plans for repeated refugee status reviews every 30 months, calling them a bureaucratic nightmare.
A Home Office spokesperson responded that asylum claims are down, hotel use is falling, and immigration enforcement activity is at record levels, with nearly 70,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals removed since the government took office—a 41% increase. They added that any asylum seekers who breach bail conditions by absconding will be tracked down and arrested.
