Briefing on Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK
The Migration Observatory has updated its briefing which examines the migration of Afghan asylum seekers and refugees to the UK. The briefing outlines the contemporary landscape of Afghan migration to the UK, emphasising the interplay between resettlement schemes, asylum flows and global displacement. By June 2025, around 35,700 people had been resettled under the UK’s three dedicated Afghan humanitarian visa routes (ARAP, ACRS and the recently disclosed ARR). Of those, ARAP accounted for 53 percent, ACRS for 37 percent and ARR for 10 percent. Approximately 97 percent of beneficiaries were Afghan nationals. The ARR scheme itself had resettled around 3,400 people as of 30 June 2025, with expectations of a total 6,900 by scheme close.