Multiple outlets report that UK Home Office figures show a sharp increase in passport applications made from overseas. In the first quarter of 2026, overseas applicants submit more than 300,000 applications, with one report describing the volume as almost tripling compared with the prior period referenced by the outlet. The reporting frames the trend as evidence that the demand for passports among overseas applicants remains high and that changes being discussed for passport services are therefore being questioned. The sources describe the figures as coming from UK Home Office data and emphasize the scale of the quarterly increase, noting it is well above 300,000 applications. While the articles refer to a “Kiwi’s experiment,” the shared reporting focus is on the official application statistics rather than specific results of any individual test. No alternative figures are provided in the two sources, and both present the rise in overseas applications as the central point.