New Home Office data has revealed over 70,000 people were left waiting for a decision on their status claim in June 2021. This means the asylum backlog is now nine times higher than it was ten years ago.
The backlog has increased by more than 70% in the past two years, despite the number of asylum applications decreasing over the same period. In the year to June 2021, the UK had 37,325 applications for asylum, a 9% decrease on the year before.
Refugee resettlements almost came to a halt during the pandemic, but the data shows that the number of resettlements remains low. In quarter 2 of 2021, only 308 refugees were resettled in the United Kingdom, a significantly lower amount than the average per quarter of 1,400 between 2016 and 2019.
An increasing number of boat arrivals
More asylum seekers than ever have been arriving in the UK by boat UK. The growth in the number of people crossing the English Channel led the Home Secretary to promise an overhaul of a “fundamentally broken asylum system”. The key element of the overhaul will mean that the way an asylum seeker arrives in the UK will impact whether or not their asylum claim is granted.
Criticism of the Nationality and Borders Bill
The Nationality and Borders Bill, which is currently making its way through parliament, has been criticised by human rights organisations. They say it will protect vulnerable people from being allowed to claim asylum in the country.
Scarsdale Greater Manchester Immigration Solicitors
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