a day ago
Truth about asylum seekers in Birmingham and West Midlands amid protest fears
The number of asylum seekers living in hotels and other properties in the West Midlands has gone up slightly this year to 8,828.
While there has been an increase in small boat crossings that has driven up requests, the numbers involved still represents less than half a per cent of the local population.
Latest Home Office data also reveals that only a quarter of those seeking asylum in the region are in hotels, despite those being a focal point for anti-migrant protests. The majority live in shared refuges, hostels and houses operated by Home Office contractors Serco.
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The new data, for the period up to the end of March, shows the real number of asylum seekers being housed in the region.
It comes in the wake of damaging protests at hotel locations around the region and country, including at hotels in Sutton Coldfield, Solihull and Wolverhampton.
One asylum seeker in Wolverhampton bravely shared his experience of being on the receiving end of protestors' chants and anger, describing it as 'very fearful'. 'Ibrahim' was speaking on BBC Newsnight.
More protests are planned this weekend.
As at March 2025, there were 8,828 asylum seekers being supported in hotels and other accommodation across the West Midlands. This is up around 5,000 since December 2024.
Of those placed in the region, 3,306 were in hotel accommodation and the rest were living in homes, hostels and specialist provision.
Birmingham: 1,018 living in hotels and 1,354 in dispersed accommodation.
Sandwell: 277 in hotels and 1,367 in dispersed accommodation.
Dudley: 35 in hotels, 630 in dispersed accommodation
Solihull: 211 in hotels, 43 in dispersed accommodation
Walsall: 0 in hotels, 687 in dispersed accommodation
Coventry: 329 in hotels, 1,554 in dispersed accommodation
Wolverhampton: 227 in hotels, 1,013 in dispersed accommodation
In 2024, 53% of all asylum applications were refused at initial decision.
Refugees have also been able to enter the UK through resettlement schemes. Between 2014 and March 2025, around 34,200 Afghans had been resettled under a government scheme. In 2022 two Ukrainian resettlement schemes were launched, triggering the biggest flow of people into the UK than at any time in recent history.
By March 2025, some 223,000 people had arrived in the UK through these schemes. That represents more than the total number granted refuge via all other routes and countries.
In 2024, a total of 108,100 applicants sought asylum, the highest annual number ever recorded. In that year, around 53% of applications were initially refused. The biggest nationality of origin was Pakistani, followed by Afghan, according to Home Office data.
