EU citizens receiving benefits and free housing after claiming UK asylum

EU citizens are receiving benefits and free housing after claiming asylum in the UK, new figures have revealed.

In March, nearly 150 EU migrants were living in state-funded contingency accommodation, including hotels, while their asylum claims were being processed by the Home Office.

Seventy-five Americans who had claimed asylum in the UK were housed in taxpayer-funded accommodation and receiving a weekly allowance of £49.18 for food, clothing and toiletries.

A further 20 asylum seekers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and Japan were also in state-funded accommodation as of March 31, 2026, according to Home Office data.

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Many of those claiming asylum from these countries are doing so on the basis of racial, religious or gender discrimination, despite originating from nations with strong human rights records and stable governments, the Telegraph reports.

Home Office officials confirmed the vast majority of asylum claims from EU countries, the US and other safe nations were rejected or withdrawn, with only three per cent granted last year.

However, under current immigration law, the Home Office is required to provide accommodation and financial support to any migrant deemed "destitute" and unable to meet their own living costs, regardless of where they come from.

The cases include a Lithuanian man named Sami Tumarevic, who was due to be deported following a six-year prison sentence for armed robbery but claimed asylum in 2023 in an attempt to prevent his removal.

He argued his life would be at risk in Lithuania due to his "ethnic and genetic makeup" and claimed he would face danger from police there.

His claim was ruled inadmissible, but he managed to delay his removal further by bringing a judicial review of the decision, which was dismissed in October 2024.

Among those who received free accommodation and benefits is Olabode Shoniregun, 27, a university-educated American from Las Vegas who claimed he was being persecuted in the US because he was black, Jewish and a member of the Mormon Church.

Mr Shoniregun was housed in migrant hotels while his claim was considered, before it was rejected last summer.

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Despite the rejection, he has received thousands of pounds in accommodation and state support and has not yet been removed from the country.

The Home Office figures showed there were 156 American applicants for British asylum last year, making the US the safe country with the largest number of claimants.

It was followed by Poland with 88 applications, Romania with 68, Hungary with 41 and Lithuania with 26, alongside smaller numbers from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand, Germany and Australia.

Neil O'Brien, shadow minister for policy renewal and development, who obtained the data, said many people would be "surprised" the Government even entertained asylum claims from nationals of these countries, let alone provided them with taxpayer-funded housing.

He said: "These people are basically economic migrants shopping around. They are likely originally from third countries but have already got nationality in very rich and safe countries and now want to come to the UK.

“There is no way you can credibly claim that the government of New Zealand or Sweden is a threat to your life."

Even where asylum claims are rejected, Home Office data showed that annual removal rates for failed claimants varied significantly, ranging from just 25 per cent for those from New Zealand and France to 81 per cent for those from Sweden and Romania.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the situation as "a disgraceful waste of taxpayers' money".

He said the EU and US were "manifestly safe" and asylum claims from such countries should be immediately dismissed without a penny of public money being spent on housing applicants.

A Home Office spokesman said: “Most asylum claims from these countries are rejected or withdrawn, with just 3 per cent of applications granted asylum in the last year. Asylum claims are assessed on individual merit, and those found not to need protection will be refused.

“The Government has already reduced the number of asylum seekers in asylum hotels by 35 per cent in the past year.

“Overall asylum support costs are down by 15 per cent in the last financial year – helping reduce asylum support costs by nearly £1bn.”

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