The UK Home Office claims that it has resolved its backlog of asylum applications. However, opposition leaders accuse the government of using misleading statistics. Government-requisitioned hotels have provided temporary lodging for thousands of migrants awaiting their initial asylum status decisions. Last year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to process 92,000 “legacy” applications by 2023.
The government reports that increased efficiency resulted in officials processing over 112,000 asylum cases last year, exceeding the Prime Minister’s announcement. Their press release states that, from November 20 to December 17 in 2023, officials made 20,481 initial asylum decisions – more than the entirety of 2021. Sunak claims that the efforts of the Home Office will save taxpayers money on expensive hotels, reduce pressures on public services, and ensure the most vulnerable receive the appropriate support.
Nonetheless, critics, including some Tory MPs, dispute the claims and suggest that Downing Street is manipulating the statistics. Legacy cases refer only to individuals who entered the asylum system on June 28, 2022. All these cases have been reviewed, with only 4,500 remaining classified as “complex.” Such cases typically involve age and identity verification, serious medical issues, or checks on suspected convictions.
Over 100,000 people whose applications occurred after June 2022 are still in the system, with many residing in hotels. Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock states that the government’s claims are “false” and that the backlog has “skyrocketed” under the conservatives. He adds that over 17,000 asylum seekers have merely been “withdrawn” by the Tories from the legacy backlog, with no clear indication of where they are or whether they will reapply
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