Thousands of foreign nationals claimed asylum in Britain after arriving on work visa

According to official figures, there were 13,427 asylum claims lodged in the year to September by work visa holders.

This is up from 9,392 in the previous year, reports MailOnline.

The data covering the three months from July to September saw asylum claims by workers from abroad go above the 4,000 mark for the first time, with 4,057.

This is a sharp change from previous years, as the Home Office saw between just 100 and 1,000 equivalent claims per quarter between 2018 and mid-2023.

Overall, there were just under 41,500 asylum claims lodged by migrants who had previously come here on a visa or other permit.

They made up 38 per cent of a record 110,051 asylum claims in the year.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "It's a disgrace that this Government is letting in tens of thousands of people each year who then abuse the system by claiming asylum to stay in the UK permanently.

"It is clear work visas are being particularly abused.

"We need much stricter checks before allowing people in, and the asylum system tightened up so that fabricated and bogus claims are rejected.

"At the moment, the system is much too weak and is being abused on an industrial scale."

Migration experts have also warned Labour faces a "dilemma" when wanting to reduce net migration due to student visas.

Chairman of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) Professor Brian Bell said there is a "real trade-off" for ministers as the body published a review earlier this month recommending the general salary threshold for skilled workers remains at £41,700.

The MAC suggested that it to continue at its current level for migrants to make positive economic contributions to the UK and sustain lowered net migration.

Professor Bell said: "What we’re not recommending is any additional rise, because we think...the rise that’s already happened, combined with the fact that it’s now only really a graduate level job route, has done enough probably to reduce net migration to levels that the Government should be more comfortable with on the work side."

Latest net migration estimates have fallen to the lowest figure since 2021 – down to 204,000 in the year to June 2025.

Net migration peaked at a record 944,000 in the year to March 2023 but has fallen sharply since then.

The decrease is being driven by fewer people from outside the EU arriving in the UK for work or to study, along with an increase in people moving out of the country, the Office for National Statistics had said.

It also follows the introduction in early 2024 by the previous Conservative Government of restrictions on people eligible to travel to the UK on work or study visas.

A Home Office spokesman told MailOnline: "The UK operates a robust and effective visa system, which is kept under regular review.

"Where any widespread abuse is identified, we always take decisive action, including introducing visit visa requirements for countries where a significant number of nationals go on to claim asylum in the UK.

"Where these visit visa requirements have been implemented, the number of asylum seekers from these countries has fallen by 93 per cent through this action alone."

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