Protesters hold placards during a demonstration in Orpington near London, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025

The long-running debate around the asylum seekers arriving on British shores via the English Channel escalated again over the summer.

It began when anti-asylum protesters began to oppose the government’s use of the Bell Hotel in Epping to house those who are waiting for their claims processed.

The demonstrations soon spread across the country, and politicians from Reform UK and the Conservative Party began to pressure Labour to change the entire asylum system.

The government has promised to end the use of asylum hotels by the close of this parliament, expected to be in 2029, but it is still reliant on them for now.

But the topic is clearly not going anywhere – data from YouGov found 52% of respondents said immigration was the most important issue facing the UK in July.

However, the conversation has been littered with misinformation about the lives asylum seekers have once they get to UK shores.

For instance, Reform UK’s Nigel Farage claimed that “migrants have more rights than British people”.

So here’s a much-needed dose of reality of just what our asylum system is really like...

1. Most asylum seekers do not live in top accommodation

Despite widespread allegations, asylum seekers do not enjoy lavish conditions while they wait for their claims to be processed.

They do not get priority housing or get to choose where they live.

According to a 2023 report from The Guardian – many endure conditions “worse than prison” with “shared rooms, rancid food and no clothes”.

Asylum cases can take years to be resolved, too, meaning they can be stuck in this limbo for a long time.

At the end of March 2025, there were 109,536 people waiting for an initial decision on their asylum application – more than a third were waiting for over than a year,

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