- Government denies backlog error
- Legacy cases still pending
- Opposition challenges resolution claim
The Home Secretary has refuted assertions that the government erred in stating that it has resolved the backlog of elder asylum cases, notwithstanding recent data indicating that thousands of cases remain unresolved.
As per James Cleverly, “every single” legacy application submitted before the 2022 amendments to asylum laws has been processed.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a solemn commitment to “eradicate” the backlog of asylum applications by the conclusion of 2023.
According to recent statistics, the current asylum backlog amounts to 99,000.
However, among legacy applications—those created before June 28, 2022—the Home Office is still reviewing 4,500 “complex” cases, Mr. Cleverley acknowledged, some of which involve security concerns.
The government, according to Mr. Cleverly, “has committed to processing all those applications,” not concluding them.
He added, “Our commitment was to process them, and we have fulfilled that.”
The reduction in the overall number of asylum claims from 136,000 at this time last year to 99,000 at present, according to the government, is the result of clearing the “legacy” backlog of applications.
Mr. Cleverly explained a “tenfold increase in the rate at which we complete the processing.”
Added backlog
Since June 2022, however, the number of applications awaiting a preliminary determination has increased from 900 to more than 94,000.
The current magnitude of the “flow backlog” surpasses that of the legacy backlog at the time Mr. Sunak pledged to eliminate it by December 2022.
Mr. Cleverly responded, when questioned, that it was “impossible” to predict the time required to complete pending asylum cases.
The government, he continued, improved the asylum system through the addition of “more people,” the improvement of “processes,” and the establishment of “real accountability.”
However, the government has been accused by critics of manipulating the figures.
One-third of the claims that were eliminated from the legacy backlog have yet to be approved or denied.
The majority of claimants’ information has been withdrawn, typically because the Home Office has lost contact with them.
Opposition shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called the government’s asylum seeker removal allegation “false”.
Ms. Cooper stated on social media that the government had “not even” eliminated the legacy backlog.
She added that the government’s figures included 17,000 withdrawn cases, the whereabouts of whom the Home Office is “completely unknown.” These cases were withdrawn as part of the reduction.
Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon stated that progress had been made but that it was “misleading for the government to assert that the legacy backlog has been resolved when thousands are still awaiting a decision.”
Furthermore, he claimed that the government had neglected to provide an explanation for the withdrawal of thousands of individuals’ asylum claims, adding, “The Home Office has, in fact, lost track of an excessive number of individuals who have been removed from the asylum process.”
Difficult situations
Officials processed over 112,000 asylum cases last year, according to the Home Office, exceeding the prime minister’s pledge.
After processing 25,550 asylum applications, 51,469 were approved and 25,550 were rejected, the most since 2002.
All that remained were “non-substantive” decisions, which included applications that had been withdrawn and individuals who had passed away.
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It is stated that 20,481 initial asylum decisions were made in the four weeks between 20 November and 17 December 2023, which is more than the total number of asylum decisions made in 2021.
Mr. Sunak stated that the department was “ensuring the most vulnerable receive the appropriate support, reducing strain on public services, and saving taxpayers millions of pounds in expensive hotel costs.”
Legacy cases only apply to asylum seekers on June 28, 2022, when new regulations took effect.
Despite the thorough examination of each case, its resolution remains elusive, as 4,500 of them have been reclassified as “complex.”
Such cases, according to the Home Office, frequently involve asylum seekers posing as children. Among the complications may be age verification, severe medical conditions, or checks for alleged convictions.
