What are your chances of getting asylum in the UK?
Pick your country — find out in 10 seconds. Figures from the Home Office, latest release March 2026.
This is not legal advice. The numbers show what happens on average — your case may be different. For advice on your situation, ask an IAA-accredited lawyer.
Post-Soviet countries in the UK asylum system — what the numbers show
Six charts — six simple questions. Your country is highlighted.
Who applies from where?
Main applicants (excluding family members) by country, 2025. In brackets — change over 5 years.
Who gets protection, who gets refused?
Grant rate at initial decision, latest full year (2024). Black dashed line — UK average (43%).
Why are there so few asylum cases from Ukraine?
Ukrainians in the UK after February 2022 mostly come through the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme — a separate visa route (3 years of legal stay + work + benefits), not asylum. That is why asylum numbers are low. As of December 2025, more than 300,000 Ukrainians live in the UK under this scheme. Discussions are ongoing about extension and transition conditions. → More about Ukrainian schemes
Legal vs asylum — the scale of two flows
Visas (work + study + family, excluding tourism) vs asylum applications in 2025. Logarithmic scale. Your country is highlighted.
For most of the 12 countries, legal visas are the main route to the UK. Asylum is a separate, smaller flow for those who cannot return.
How long do people wait for a decision?
Distribution of waiting times for those still waiting for an initial decision. Data as of 31 March 2026.
What happens after getting asylum?
ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain, usually after 5 years) and citizenship — granted in 2025 to citizens of these 12 countries.
What happens after refusal? Returns to country of origin
Enforced (with escort or under guard) vs voluntary (under the VRS programme) returns in 2025.
UK-wide picture
To understand the scale, here are the overall figures for the year to March 2026 (Home Office, release 21 May 2026).
Detailed statistics by country
Pick a country — get a dedicated page with charts, FAQ and comparison with other post-Soviet countries.
Frequently asked questions
How is the ‘grant rate’ calculated?
It is the percentage of cases where the Home Office granted refugee status or humanitarian protection out of all initial decisions in a year. It does not include refusals at the appeal stage, withdrawals, or administrative outcomes.
What is an initial decision?
It is the first decision made by the Home Office on a case. If refused, you can appeal to the Tribunal. About half of refusals are overturned on appeal, but that is a different data set.
What does ‘backlog’ mean?
It refers to people whose cases have not yet received an initial decision from the Home Office. As of 31 March 2026, there were about 49,000 people across all countries. On average, a case waits 12–18 months for a decision.
Can I work while waiting for a decision?
Only in a very narrow list of professions (Shortage Occupation List) and only if you have been waiting more than 12 months. Basic right to work starts after you get status. → More on the /en/work-rights/ page.
What happens after a refusal?
You can appeal to the Tribunal (within 14 days), then to the Upper Tribunal, then Judicial Review. About half of appeals succeed. At the same time, you can submit ‘further submissions’ under para 353 if you have new evidence.
What is UASC and why separate statistics?
UASC stands for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. They have a separate procedure, separate age checks, and separate statistics.
Why are the numbers for some countries close to zero?
From Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova there are very few applications — single or tens per year. This is statistical noise, not that they do not apply.
How often is this page updated?
After each quarterly Home Office release (February, May, August, November). Last update: 21 May 2026.
Data: Home Office, release 21 May 2026 (year to December 2025). Page updated: 21 May 2026. Next release: 28 August 2026.