LONDON

More than 100,000 people claimed asylum in the UK last year, according to new figures published by the British Home Office on Thursday, with arrivals down slightly from the previous year.

A total of 100,625 people sought asylum in 2025, down 4% compared with 2024.

Of those, just over 40% -- 41,262 people -- arrived in the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats. Almost as many, 39,095, entered the country on another type of visa before later applying for asylum.

The figures also show a continued decline in the number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels.

At the end of December 2025, 30,657 people were staying in temporary hotel accommodations. That is 19% lower than in December the previous year and represents the lowest level in 18 months.

The use of hotels peaked at about 56,000 people in September 2023. The Home Office said numbers have fallen as more asylum seekers have been moved into longer-term accommodation.

Ahead of the release of the latest data, a group of migrants arrived in Kent, southeastern England, marking the first reported crossing of the Channel in just over two weeks.

On Wednesday, a large group of migrants, including children, were seen disembarking from a lifeboat and a border force vessel, many wearing life jackets.

It was the first reported crossing on the route since Feb. 9, when 322 people made the journey.

The Home Office recorded the arrival of 74 migrants on Tuesday by a single small boat.