By Lauren Powdrell
Against a backdrop of proposals to tighten or restrict the further submissions procedure in the UK asylum system, this post analyses the statistics relating to these “fresh claims” for asylum. Ultimately, that evidence does not support the assumption that further submissions are mostly unmeritorious repeat claims. Rather, fresh claims are regularly identifying people who meet the legal criteria for protection. Fresh claims, then, are better understood as a systemic response to how initial decisions are made and to changing global conditions, rather than as repeated individual attempts to ‘game’ the system.
The UK Home Office does not routinely publish statistics on fresh claims applications. This blog post draws on a 2022 Freedom of Information (FOI) response (Home Office, 2022) for the years from 2018 to January 2022 on the number of fresh claims for asylum that have been made by appeal rights exhausted asylum seekers who remain in the UK. This post also looks at UNHCR’s 2025 report on ‘Further Submissions in the UK’, where the Home Office provided UNHCR with data for the years 2022 and 2023 (UNHCR, 2025, p.33). From this data, the key takeaways are that:
- Fresh claims are a core part of post-refusal asylum decision-making in the UK, with large numbers of people continuing to engage with the asylum system after an initial refusal.
- Fresh claims frequently result in protection or continued legal routes.
- Who makes fresh claims reflects wider asylum decision-making patterns and global events.
Fresh claims numbers and outcomes
The 2022 FOI response shows that a total of 29,449 fresh claims were made between 2018/19 and 2020/21 (Home Office, 2022). The volume peaked in 2019/20, with 13,103 fresh claims, compared to 10,440 in 2018/19 and 5,906 in 2020/21 (Home Office, 2022). These figures illustrate that fresh claims constitute a substantial and recurring part of the asylum system, involving tens of thousands of applications over a relatively short period.
Fresh claims continue to generate a high volume of decisions year on year. In 2022, the Home Office’s Further Submissions Unit made 8,866 decisions, followed by 8,538 decisions in 2023 (UNHCR, 2025, p.34). That means thousands of people each year were relying on the fresh claims process to have their cases looked at again. The fact that decision numbers remain high across both years shows that fresh claims continue to be a routine and necessary part of how the asylum system operates.
Once someone has made a further submission, they may be granted different forms of protection: asylum protection, humanitarian protection, or another form of ‘leave.’ Looking at the grants of protection by year, the FOI shows that around one third of fresh claims made between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2021 resulted in a grant of asylum, humanitarian protection, or other leave by 1 January 2022 (Home Office, 2022). Across this period from 2018 until 2021, 29,449 fresh claims were made, with 9,982 resulting in a grant of asylum or other leave at the first instance (Home Office, 2022). This grant rate is significant because it only includes further submission applications made at the first instance: applicants who successfully appeal a refusal at the first instance may later be granted protection, and those grants are not included in the 9,982 grants referred to above. When we look at grants of protection in response to fresh claims made at the first instance, then, we see that thousands of people secure lawful status through the fresh claims process alone. The scale of these outcomes underlines that fresh claims are a significant route through which protection and leave are granted, rather than an exceptional or rarely successful mechanism.
Similarly, in both 2022 and 2023, grants recognising an individual’s international protection needs were the single most common form of grant (UNHCR, 2025, p.34-5). In 2022, 53% of fresh claims decisions resulted in a grant of leave, including grants of asylum, humanitarian protection, and on the basis of family or private life (UNHCR, 2025, p.35). A further 22% were refusals that carried a right of appeal, while 25% were refusals with no appeal right (UNHCR, 2025, p.34). Taken together, this means that in nearly three out of four cases, the decision either led to protection being granted or allowed the person to challenge the refusal. The data shows, then, that fresh claims are a real route to safety and legal review, not simply a procedural formality.
The fact that 34% of all decisions in 2022 and 22% in 2023 resulted in grants of asylum underscores that earlier refusals do not necessarily reflect an absence of an individual’s protection needs (UNHCR, 2025, p.35), but may reflect the timing, evidence base, or context in which the original claim was decided (UNHCR, 2025, p.35). We see, then, the value of the Fresh claims process in the asylum system.
Appeal rights are also a central feature of the fresh claims process. UNHCR records 5,017 outcomes as ‘fresh claim refused (ROA)’, meaning the claim was refused but carried a Right Of Appeal (UNHCR, 2025, p.34). Refused fresh claims with ROA are significant because the fresh claims were determined to be a fresh claim but were refused a grant of leave – and this decision can be appealed. They demonstrate that fresh claims often lead to decisions that remain legally contestable, rather than final determinations with no further remedy. Fresh claims refused with ROA account for roughly one-third of all fresh claim decisions across 2018 to 2021 (Home Office, 2022). The system is, therefore, generating a substantial volume of appealable decisions that continue the legal process. This is significant because it shows that fresh claims play an important role in maintaining access to appeal rights within the asylum system, rather than bringing the decision-making process to a premature end.
Nationalities of fresh claim applicants and the implications
The breakdown of which nationalities are applying for fresh claims show two clear trends (UNHCR, 2025, p.33): overall growth in fresh claims, and a shift in which nationalities are most represented.
First, the volume of applications increased from 5,917 in 2022 to 6,699 in 2023 (UNHCR, 2025, p.33). At the same time, the caseload remains diverse: ’Other’ nationalities make up the largest single share in both years, though it drops from 49% (2022) to 45.5% (2023) – suggesting a slightly more concentrated set of top nationalities in 2023 (UNHCR, 2025, p.33).
Second, the top nationalities change noticeably between the two years. In 2022, the largest groups were Iraq (16%) and Afghanistan (13.7%), followed by China (7.5%), Albania (7.3%), and Pakistan (6.5%) (UNHCR, 2025, p.33). In 2023, Albania becomes the top nationality (19%), with Iraq close behind (17.5%); Pakistan stays the same at 6.5%, while India (5.8%) enters the top five and China falls to 5.7% (UNHCR, 2025, p.33). Notably, Afghanistan drops out of the top five nationalities making fresh claims in 2023 (UNHCR, 2025, p.33).
What this shows about fresh claims in the UK is that they are not dominated by a single nationality, but the profile of who is using the process can shift from year to year. The data also suggests that a relatively small number of nationalities account for a sizeable share of applications, while a large ’Other’ category indicates continued breadth in the people relying on fresh claims across many countries of origin.
Looking at asylum applications over time provides important context for understanding who goes on to make fresh claims. Between 2018 and 2023, the nationalities most commonly applying for asylum remained relatively consistent, though their order shifted from year to year (UNHCR, 2025, p.33). Across this period, nationalities such as Iran, Iraq, Eritrea, Albania, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, India, Vietnam, and China repeatedly appeared among the top ten asylum-seeking groups (UNHCR, 2025, p.33). By 2022, Albania had become the largest nationality group applying for asylum, followed by Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, alongside Bangladesh, Eritrea, Sudan, India, and Pakistan (UNHCR, 2025, p.33).
When this data is compared with the nationalities most represented among fresh claims applicants, a clear overlap emerges. The nationalities most likely to make fresh claims are largely the same as those that featured most prominently in asylum applications in preceding years (UNHCR, 2025, p.33). This overlap shows that fresh claims arise from the same groups who have historically made large numbers of asylum claims, rather than from new or unexpected nationalities entering the system. It also indicates that patterns of refusal at the initial decision stage continue to shape who remains engaged with the asylum process through fresh claims.
The data also indicates that nationalities with lower asylum grant rates are disproportionately represented among fresh claims applicants (UNHCR, 2025, p.34). In practice, this means that groups experiencing higher refusal rates at the initial decision stage are more likely to rely on the fresh claims process to have their protection needs reconsidered. This reinforces the role of fresh claims as a follow-on mechanism within the asylum system, rather than an alternative route detached from the initial asylum process.
The figures also point to a relationship between wider political and global developments and the nationalities making fresh claims (UNHCR, 2025, p.34). For example, there was a notably high proportion of fresh claims made by Afghan nationals in 2022, following UNHCR advice to suspend forced returns to Afghanistan. In response, the Home Office advised Afghans who had previously been refused asylum and who believed their circumstances had changed to make a further submission (UNHCR, 2025, p.34). This illustrates how fresh claims can function as a safety net in response to changing country conditions and guidance.
Shifts in decision-making trends are also visible in relation to Albanian nationals. During a period of heightened scrutiny in the UK of irregular Channel crossings involving Albanian nationals, the grant rate for Albanian asylum applicants fell sharply – from 49% in 2022 to 9% in 2023 (UNHCR, 2025, p.34). This drop provides important context for understanding why Albanian nationals feature prominently in fresh claims data: reduced recognition at the initial stage increases the likelihood that people seeking asylum will seek reconsideration through the fresh claims process.
Taken together, the representation of nationalities making fresh claims show that fresh claims reflect broader patterns within the asylum system. The nationality data reinforces that fresh claims are closely tied to systemic trends in asylum decision-making, rather than being exceptional or anomalous applications.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the data shows that fresh claims are an integral part of the UK asylum system, providing a crucial post-refusal mechanism through which large numbers of people continue to engage with the process, secure protection or access appeal rights. This underscores that people do not simply disengage after refusal, but continue to seek protection through the system. More broadly, the data on fresh claims shows that the process reflects wider patterns in asylum decision-making and global developments. Fresh claims are not simply recycling old claims for protection; they frequently raise issues serious enough to warrant further legal scrutiny. Tightening the fresh claims process, then, could disproportionately restrict access to protection.
Bibliography
Home Office, ‘Freedom of Information Act 2000 Request on behalf of Refugee Law Clinic’, 25 May 2022
Right to Remain, ‘Breaking Down the Government’s New Asylum Proposals’ (Right to Remain, 19 November 2025) <https://righttoremain.org.uk/breaking-down-the-governments-new-asylum-proposals/> accessed 14 January 2025
UNHCR, ‘Further Submissions in the UK: An audit of the UK’s Further Submissions procedures and decision-making, and recommendations for change’ (UNHCR, 2025) <https://www.unhcr.org/uk/sites/uk/files/2025-01/further_submissions_in_the_uk_-_unhcr_report_january_2025_2.pdf> accessed 14 January 2026
Having volunteered with the Refugee Law Clinic, Lauren Powdrell developed a strong interest in the role of further submissions in ensuring asylum claims are properly reconsidered. She holds an LLM in International Law and now works as a caseworker supporting people seeking asylum with their legal support claims, while also volunteering on the campaign against Derwentside IRC.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author/s and do not necessarily reflect those of the Refugee Law Initiative. We welcome comments and contributions to this blog – please comment below and see here for contribution guidelines.