politics
Number of migrants winning right to stay soars to HIGHEST level in 15 years
THE number of migrants winning the right to stay in Britain for good has soared to its highest level since 2011 amid a rush to beat tougher new rules.
TL;DR
- 199,628 people secured permanent settlement in Britain in the year to June, a 24% increase.
- Foreign workers on work visas accounted for the largest group (80,409), up 36%.
- A large rise was also seen among Hong Kongers on the BN(O) route.
- 245,520 people were granted British citizenship, down 4% but historically high.
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood plans to double the qualifying period for permanent settlement from five to ten years.
- Asylum claims fell 21% to 85,891 in the year to June.
- The number of asylum seekers in hotels halved to around 16,000.
- 73,068 asylum seekers were housed in non-hotel accommodation, up 3%.
- Total Home Office asylum spending fell 8% to £4.36 billion in 2025/26.