Pakistan Tops UK Asylum Claims – Most Arrive on Visas, Not Boats
Record asylum claims aren’t just about dinghies in the Channel. Pakistan shows how the system is being used from within.
When asylum is debated in Britain, the political spotlight is almost always on the small boats crossing the English Channel. Ministers promise to “stop the boats,” campaigners focus on the humanitarian crisis, and media cameras capture the arrivals on Kent’s beaches.
But look past the headlines, and the data tells another story. The latest Home Office statistics (year to June 2025) show that the largest single nationality of asylum seekers in Britain is now Pakistan.
Yes — 1 in every 10 asylum applications in the UK comes from Pakistani nationals. And that’s out of claims made by people from 175 different countries.
And here’s the kicker: very few come across the Channel in dinghies.
The Numbers
In total, 111,000 people claimed asylum in the UK in the past year — a record high, even greater than the peak in 2002.
Applicants came from 175 different countries.
Of these, around 10% (11,234) were from Pakistan, making it the top nationality for asylum claims.
By contrast, Afghans and Eritreans dominate the small boat statistics — but Pakistanis do not.
Instead, the vast majority of Pakistani asylum applicants enter the country through legal routes first — whether on a student visa, work visa, or visitor visa. Only once here do many of them apply for asylum. 93% of the claims came from people already in the country, with just 7% at port.
Visas First, Asylum Later
Pakistan has regular direct flights to the UK and the Home Office issued 162,467 visas to Pakistani nationals in the past year alone. The breakdown:
✈️ 92,254 visitor visas
🎓 39,410 study visas
💼 19,046 work visas
👨👩👧 9,647 family visas
🗂️ 2,110 other
From within the pool of ‘legal’ entrants, thousands go on to claim asylum. That’s why Pakistan tops the asylum list — not because of small boats, but because of the sheer number of people already coming legally.
The Political Angle
The fact that Pakistan is the number one source of asylum claims shows that Britain’s challenge goes far beyond border security.
This isn’t about people sneaking in — it’s about those who arrive legally on visas and then switch into the asylum system once here.
With 162,000 visas granted to Pakistani nationals in the past year, the numbers reveal a clear loophole: the UK’s generous visa system is feeding directly into record asylum claims.
This also feeds into a wider issue of public trust. Communities across England are still dealing with the fallout of the grooming gang scandals, which overwhelmingly involved men of Pakistani heritage. Against that backdrop, rising asylum claims from Pakistan risk deepening the sense that immigration is poorly managed and that the government has lost control.
Beyond the Headlines
The rise of Pakistan in the asylum league tables exposes a truth politicians often avoid: Britain’s migration system isn’t just failing at the borders — it’s failing within them.
Yes, small boats matter. But “legal entry, then asylum claim” shows how the system is being gamed from inside.
This is not a problem that photo-ops in Dover or slogans about dinghies can solve. It requires a hard look at:
Visa policy
Fast-track removals for unfounded claims
And honesty with the public about the true scale of asylum pressures.
Final Thought
When claims are arriving from 175 countries, and Pakistan alone makes up 1 in 10, it shows the asylum problem is much bigger than the Channel crossings that dominate headlines.
It’s about control — not just at the borders, but within the visa system itself. And until that is addressed, asylum claims will continue to hit record highs.