A government minister has said that some failed asylum seekers could be asked to appeal their cases from their home countries instead of staying in taxpayer-funded hotels in the UK.
Baroness Jenny Chapman, who handles migration at the Foreign Office, said there’s no legal reason stopping this in many cases, although it wouldn’t apply to dangerous countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, or Iran. She said people could be returned home and appeal from there, which would save money and space in UK hotels.
She also mentioned that diplomats might encourage countries that refuse to take back their citizens to be more cooperative. Right now, over 41,000 asylum appeals are stuck in a backlog, a huge rise from around 7,000 at the start of 2023.
Baroness Chapman explained that people whose asylum claims are rejected usually stay in hotels while appealing, which takes time because of the backlog. She said the Home Office is improving things, but it’s not right for people to stay for years while using public funds. She believes appeals should be allowed from outside the UK in many cases.
Currently, migrants can only appeal from abroad if they’ve been granted permission to do so, and they have 28 days to appeal after leaving the country.
She said this approach would show that the government is serious about handling immigration and that people shouldn’t expect to stay in the UK forever while going through every legal step.
The idea is to save money too. Right now, over 38,000 migrants are staying in hotels, costing £5.5 million a day. Hotels cost about £145 a night per person, compared to cheaper housing options like bedsits or flats that cost about £14 a night. The government is already in talks with many countries to set up return agreements.
Baroness Chapman said 24,000 people have been sent back since July, and talks are happening with countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia. She also said migrants are coming from as far as Africa and Asia, sometimes through Latin America.
She doesn’t believe the Rwanda plan worked as a deterrent since no one was actually sent there. She thinks a better solution is to process claims faster and return people quickly if they’re not allowed to stay.
At the end of September 2024, more than 133,000 people were waiting for an initial decision on their asylum case. That’s up from June but down compared to the same time last year. The number of people waiting more than six months also increased since June but has dropped compared to 2023.
Recently, migrants have started crossing the Channel again, with dozens arriving in Dover on Friday. So far in 2025, over 6,600 people have arrived in small boats. Since Labour came to power last July, over 30,000 migrants have been intercepted.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK is considering setting up “return hubs” in other countries to house failed asylum seekers. He said the plan must follow international law and be cost-effective—unlike the Rwanda plan, which he called a failure. He also mentioned working with Italy and other countries on new ideas.
The countries that agree to take failed asylum seekers would be paid by the UK. This plan could help return people from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and Syria.
