Last Updated: November 6, 2025
New York City has welcomed tens of thousands of asylum seekers since spring of 2022, the latest wave in a long history of immigration that has shaped this city’s economic and cultural success for generations. The City of New York has embraced the challenge of providing shelter and services to new arrivals to help them get on their feet, entering into hundreds of emergency contracts across many agencies to provide shelter, meals, medical care, legal assistance, and many other services. Provision of these shelter and services increased when the in-shelter population was high, and then decreased, as of September 2025 the overall population of asylum seekers in NYC has declined by nearly 50 percent from its peak in January 2024. Federal policy changes have significantly decreased the number of people coming into the United States, and in turn, New York.
The Comptroller’s Office keeps a close eye on population trends and spending – to provide oversight and to identify opportunities to maximize City dollars to better serve New York City residents, whether their families arrived here decades ago or just yesterday. On these pages you can find available information about the services the City is offering, and other updates for newly arrived asylum seekers, up through September 2025.
As of September 2025, this website is no longer being updated, as the number of asylum seekers in City-funded shelter continues to decrease. For further updates on the City’s response to federal trends and policy, including immigration-related resources, please visit the office’s Protecting NYC hub.
Asylum Seeker Population in City Funded Shelter (Individuals)
Source: NYC Mayor’s Office and Office of the NYC Comptroller
Note: Asylum seeker population represents all asylum seekers in City-funded shelter at the associated date. It does not include individuals outside of the shelter system, including those awaiting shelter in waiting rooms.
Asylum Seeker Services Updates