Hundreds of Afghan women fleeing Taliban repression face surging asylum refusals in the UK, with grant rates plummeting from 96 percent to 34 percent since the current government took office. This marks a lower approval level than the 45 to 62 percent seen before the Taliban’s 2021 return to power. Government data reveals 370 Afghan women received refusals in 2025 alone.
Plummeting Approval Rates for Afghans
Government figures confirm the sharp downturn in success rates for Afghan asylum claims. Overall initial asylum grants fell to 42 percent in 2025, down from 47 percent in 2024 and 76 percent in 2022. This trend fuels a rising appeals backlog, which doubled to nearly 70,000 cases by September 2025.
Critics Highlight Cruelty Toward Vulnerable Women
Wendy Chamberlain, LibDem MP and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Afghan women and girls, stated: “Women in Afghanistan endure one of the world’s most oppressive regimes, systematically erased from daily life. The UK’s increasing refusals for Afghan women, despite Taliban brutality and gender apartheid evidence, prove indefensibly cruel.”
Steve Smith, chief executive of Care4Calais, noted: “Just years ago, Taliban risks prompted near-100 percent grants for Afghans. The government shifted stance not due to reduced threats, but because Afghans often crossed the Channel seeking safety.”
Gunes Kalkan, head of campaigns at Safe Passage International, called refusals “unfathomable,” adding: “Over 110 Afghan girls and 260 women crossed the Channel last year for protection. Forcing perilous journeys without safe routes, then denying sanctuary, represents an unforgivable government failure.”
Settlement Changes Raise Integration Concerns
Plans by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to shorten refugee settlement from five years to 30 months draw warnings from charities and doctors. These shifts, alongside family reunion limits, hit women and girls hardest. Karla McLaren, head of government affairs at Amnesty International UK, warned: “As Taliban control tightens, fewer Afghan women gain UK safety. Denying refuge amid proven brutality signals a moral and practical collapse in asylum decisions.”
Taliban Restrictions Escalate Dangers
The Taliban bars women from most jobs and universities while prohibiting girls from secondary education. UN reports show rising maternal mortality and adolescent births from child marriages.
Hasina Safi, former Afghan minister of women’s affairs who arrived in the UK in 2021, urged: “The UK must do much more to shield Afghan women and girls. Harder access to protection leaves them fighting for basic lives—a reality from lived experience.”
Home Office Defends Case-by-Case Approach
A Home Office spokesperson emphasized: “Post-Taliban takeover, the UK resettled nearly 38,000 Afghans via humanitarian paths. Decision-makers scrutinize gender-based persecution claims closely. The home secretary plans new safe, legal routes post-asylum system reforms, prioritizing integration and community contributions.”
