🚀 Quick actions
⚠️ Important: The Home Office does not give exact timeframes. All figures are averages from official statistics (GOV.UK, February 2026). Your case may take more or less time.
📋 Key facts
📊2024
Average decision time
Down from 735 days in 2023. 35% of those awaiting a decision waited more than 12 months (December 2025).
413 days
📉backlog
Queue for decision
48,723 cases / 64,426 people. Down 48% year-on-year, 64% from peak in June 2023.
48,723 cases
⚖️appeal
Appeal queue
80,000+ cases / approximately 105,000 people — up 91% year-on-year. The load has shifted to tribunals.
80,000+ cases
🏆record
Decisions per year
Highest since records began in 2002 (to September 2025).
133,502
🕐stages
Application → Screening
Registration and initial screening interview. The fastest stage.
1-7 days
🎤interview
Screening → Interview
No fixed timeframe. Depends on Home Office workload and case complexity.
? weeks-months
⏱️appeal
Appeal deadline
Strict deadline from the date of refusal. Processing: 53-63 weeks (12-15 months).
14 days
📗legacy
Legacy backlog
626 cases remaining out of the original 98,659 — virtually cleared.
626 cases remaining
Source: GOV.UK Immigration Statistics, published 26 February 2026.
🔎 How to check your case status
⚠️ There is NO online portal to check your status. Do not trust websites that promise to "check your status online".
📄 4 ways to find out your status
Through your lawyer / legal representative — if you have a legal aid lawyer, they can request an update directly from the Home Office. This is the most effective way.
Call Migrant Help — free number: 0808 8010 503 (free, 24/7). They can contact the Home Office on your behalf.
Subject Access Request (SAR) — email: [email protected]. A request under the Data Protection Act. The Home Office must respond within 1 month.
Through your MP (Member of Parliament) — your MP can make an enquiry through the special UKVI hotline for parliamentarians.
Find a lawyer → From the community: many people report that Migrant Help has limited ability to help. Don't give up — try all channels.
⚡ Can you speed up the process
📝 3 ways to influence the process
Letter through your MP — contact their constituency office. Provide: Home Office reference number, case history, copies of documents. Find your MP: members.parliament.uk. Write politely and include all details.
Pre-Action Protocol (PAP) — a formal legal step before judicial review. The Home Office is given 14 days to respond. Cases often move forward after a PAP. Must be done through a lawyer.
Home Office Complaints Procedure — file a formal complaint through gov.uk complaints if you believe the delay is unreasonable.
Find a lawyer for PAP → From the community: MP letters genuinely work for some people. Don't overlook this option.
Tip: Keep records of all your communications — dates, staff names, conversation content. This will help with complaints or PAP.
📬 After receiving your decision
✅ Positive decision (Grant of Protection)
⚠️ Move-on period from 9 March 2026: 42 DAYS
Minimum 28 days from receipt of the letter about termination of asylum support.
History: was 28 days → pilot 56 days (December 2024) → 28 days (September 2025) → 42 days (from 9 March 2026).
⚠️ Important changes from 2 March 2026:
— Refugee status is now granted for 30 months (previously 5 years), subject to review
— Settlement (permanent residence) now requires 20 years (previously 5 years)
During the move-on period you need to:
✓ Apply for Universal Credit
✓ Find housing (council housing or private)
✓ Get your NI Number
✓ Start looking for work
✓ Open a bank account
❌ Refusal — what to do
1. Appeal — submit within 14 days of receiving the refusal. Heard at the First-tier Tribunal. Average time: 53-63 weeks.
2. Fresh Claim — a new application based on new evidence that was not previously submitted.
Appeal success rate: 36% are allowed at hearing. Including Home Office withdrawals (40%+ of cases withdrawn before hearing) — approximately 66% end in favour of the applicant.
Don't miss the appeal deadline! 14 days is a strict deadline. Contact a lawyer immediately after receiving a refusal.
Appeal — more details → Housing after status → Right to work → ❓ Frequently asked questions
📊 How long does it take to get an asylum decision in the UK? ▼
The average initial decision time in 2024 was 413 days (down from 735 days in 2023). 35% of those awaiting a decision waited more than 12 months (December 2025). 58% waited more than 6 months (March 2025). Appeals take on average 53-63 weeks. People from the community report waiting times from 1 to 4+ years.
🔎 How can I check the status of my asylum case? ▼
Through your lawyer, calling Migrant Help (
0808 8010 503, free, 24/7), Subject Access Request (SAR) to
[email protected], or through your MP.
There is NO online portal to check your status. ⚡ Can I speed up my asylum case? ▼
📬 What happens after I receive my decision? ▼
After a positive decision: move-on period of 42 days from 9 March 2026. From 2 March 2026, refugee status is granted for 30 months (not 5 years), settlement now requires 20 years. After a refusal — appeal within 14 days or Fresh Claim based on new evidence.
