King's College London

The UK asylum system systematically wears down people seeking asylum, creating a cycle of psychological harm that undermines their ability to cope with continued adversity in the UK, according to a new study.

The research draws on interviews with service providers who support people seeking asylum across the UK, including lawyers, doctors, mental health practitioners and charity workers.

These interviews paint a picture of what the authors describe as a “politics of exhaustion” in which asylum policies and practices intersect to erode resilience over time. This 'politics of exhaustion' is comprises of many factors including immigration officials disbelieving accounts of persecution, no right to work for claimants, poverty and substandard housing, and a vast administrative backlog leaving people in limbo for years on end, unable to rebuild their lives.

Tianne Haggar, Research Associate at The Policy Institute, said:

“The extreme challenges people face – being constantly disbelieved and retraumatised, living in limbo with no updates about their asylum claim, living in poverty or being homeless – that is exhausting, and ultimately, it takes a toll on people’s mental health and wellbeing. The system is designed in a way that makes people mentally unwell – no amount of personal resilience or agency can withstand a system that fundamentally undermines such capacities.”

The authors call for urgent reforms, including faster and fairer asylum processing, the right to work, safe and dignified living conditions, better access to health and social services, and the development of local integration partnerships.

Professor Hanna Kienzler, Professor of Global Health and co-director at the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, said:

"Integration is not a luxury—it's a lifeline. Experts interviewed for this study make clear that when people seeking sanctuary are seen, heard, and treated with dignity, their mental health, sense of safety, and ability to contribute flourish. To enhance integration, we must dismantle hostile narratives, invest in welcoming public services, and build communities rooted in justice and mutual care."