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Exclusive: Rishi Sunak has been accused of “cooking the books” to cut the asylum backlog as thousands of claims are removed from the system following his pledge
More than 6,000 people were wiped off the list without being assessed in just 3 months
independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…
More than 6,000 people were wiped off the list without being assessed in just 3 months
independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…
The administrative "withdrawal" of asylum claims has quadrupled since the prime minister pledged in December to clear the pre-June 2022 asylum backlog
The Home Office is now withdrawing more claims than it decides, sparking accusations the backlog is being cut “by the back door”
The Home Office is now withdrawing more claims than it decides, sparking accusations the backlog is being cut “by the back door”
Official guidance seen by The Independent states that applications can be withdrawn by the Home Office without the asylum seeker’s consent – even if it has been unable to contact them and does not know where they are, with a notification letter “served to file only”
Once removed from the system, people are ineligible for the housing and financial support offered to destitute asylum seekers
A Tory MP said they can then “disappear without a trace”, Labour warned of "underground economy" and charities fear homelessness and exploitation
A Tory MP said they can then “disappear without a trace”, Labour warned of "underground economy" and charities fear homelessness and exploitation
In the 3 months before PM's pledge, 397 asylum claims were withdrawn without consent, but between January and March it was 2,029
“This is done to basically bring the backlog down,” an official told me. “A lot of interviews were booked to withdraw as many claims as possible.”
“This is done to basically bring the backlog down,” an official told me. “A lot of interviews were booked to withdraw as many claims as possible.”
The use of the tactic is thought to have intensified after the most recent official figures ended on 31 March
Triggers for withdrawal include “failure to complete an asylum questionnaire”, “failure to attend a reporting event”, “failure to attend asylum interview” and absconding
Triggers for withdrawal include “failure to complete an asylum questionnaire”, “failure to attend a reporting event”, “failure to attend asylum interview” and absconding
On paper, the tactic is proving successful in bringing down the number of asylum claims in the backlog the PM pledged to clear by the end of this year
In reality, the vast majority of those people are still in the UK without any meaningful conclusion to their claim
In reality, the vast majority of those people are still in the UK without any meaningful conclusion to their claim
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