Chancellor Rishi Sunak praised the government's efforts to clear the backlog of asylum seekers and revealed that immigration authorities had granted a record number of migrants the right to remain in the country.
The Home Office stepped up efforts to clear the backlog of cases last year, processing 112,000 asylum applications. There were 77,000 final decisions and 51,469 migrants were granted asylum within the country.This is the highest number of asylum applications in history, far surpassing the 33,460 applications made in 2002 under former Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair, UK News. report.
Some 99,000 migrants are still awaiting decisions on their asylum claims, up from 136,000 last year. The decline came as the government processed backlogged “legacy” claims, meaning those filed before June 28, 2022, when the new asylum law came into force. However, there are still around 4,500 “complex” inheritance cases on record, usually involving asylum seekers who have fraudulently claimed to be children or have criminal records. .
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “We have cleared the backlog of asylum applications and decided more than 112,000 applications, saving taxpayers millions of pounds on expensive hotel bills. “We are reducing pressure on public services and ensuring the most vulnerable people receive the support they deserve.”
“But we must not be complacent. That is why I am focused on fulfilling my promise to stop the boats and take off the planes to Rwanda.”
The Prime Minister continued: “I am determined to end the burden of illegal immigration on the British people.” “That's why we took action to stop boats, return hotels to local communities and stop people trying to come here illegally.”
I said this government would clear the backlog of asylum decisions by the end of 2023.
That's exactly what we've done.
There are now more than 112,000 cases cleared at a lower grant rate than last year, which is a key part of our plan to stop the boats.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) January 2, 2024
However, the announcement was not seen as commendable by some, with Brexit leader Nigel Farage claiming the country had failed because the government had “rushed” the asylum decision. .
“This morning, while I was rushing to process the backlog of refugee applications, [Rishi Sunak] He boasts that he has approved 50,000 new applications.The Tories have let us all down.'' Farage I have written With X.
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who resigned last month over the government's failure to make further progress in its efforts to tighten deportations, said: But at the end of the day, this is only managing the symptoms of the problem, not the solution. ”
Meanwhile, the left has accused the government of “fiddling with numbers” to make it look like it has achieved its goal of clearing the backlog, with thousands of so-called “complex” cases still on the books. He pointed out that 17,000 cases remain unsolved. Labour's shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said it had simply been removed from the backlog without a decision. Said BBC.
Home Office sources Said of guardian: “Many cases are dropped because claimants don’t fill out questionnaires on time or show up for interviews. Their forms are resubmitted and claims reclassified, but traditional It will no longer be part of the backlog. It looks like a way of fiddling with numbers to meet the Prime Minister's goals.”
Sinking ship: 70% disapprove after immigration failure, Sunak's popularity falls to lowest level for prime minister https://t.co/kusqQKG0WL
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 15, 2023
