A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent. PA
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent. PA
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent. PA
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent. PA

Asylum seeker backlog hits record as upkeep bill rises to £2.1bn a year


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

A record number of asylum seekers in the UK are awaiting decisions on their claims as the backlog hit its highest ever level, the government is set to announce this week.

Driven by a surge in the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, the number of outstanding claimants has passed 150,000 for the first time in more than 20 years.

The backlog has increased by 50,000 in only 12 months, from 100,564 in the year ending December 2021, official data to be released on Thursday will show.

This rise means the bill for housing asylum seekers, as well as their subsistence and other costs will reach a record £2.1 billion ($2.6 billion).

About £7 million a day is being spent on housing roughly 40,000 people in hotels.

Similar figures were last seen during the Tony Blair-era asylum crisis at the turn of the millennium, when comparable records began.

The latest pressure will increase pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman to stop the small boat crossings and cut the asylum backlog.

Migrants at immigration processing centre in Manston — in pictures

Getting a grip on the UK’s migrant crisis has been declared as one of Mr Sunak’s top priorities and he is expected next month to unveil proposed new laws to bar anyone entering the UK illegally from claiming asylum.

The Prime Minister has pledged to quadruple the number of asylum, caseworkers and boost staff productivity in a bid to clear the backlog of 92,601 asylum cases submitted before June 2022 by the end of this year.

The backlog is due to staff productivity “absolutely plummeting”, with each caseworker working on average one case each week, said Lord Blunkett, the former Labour home secretary.

“As John Reid said back in 2006, despite valiant efforts, the system was still not ‘fit for purpose’, but no one could have perceived the staggering situation that has arisen now,” he said.

Migrant crossings on the English Channel surge amid heatwave — in pictures

Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: “The ballooning of the backlog is inevitable. With the rate of illegal Channel crossings already greater than it was in 2022 and the level of returns minimal, the numbers crossing will go on increasing.

“The only solution is to stop the illegal influx. What the government must not do is reduce the backlog by effectively declaring an amnesty in all but name. That would prove disastrous.”

Peter Walsh, senior researcher at Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, said: “The asylum backlog has increased five-fold in the last four years.

“The result of this is that asylum seekers are now facing very long waits — on average, more than 18 months — for their claims to be assessed.”

It is now likely that up to 50,000 asylum seekers are waiting between one and three years for decisions and more than 10,000 three to five years, the Refugee Council said.

“These are men women and children who came to our country in search of safety but are condemned to years of waiting and worrying, unable to put down roots and rebuild their lives,” said Enver Solomon, its chief executive.

Migrant children rescued in French waters — in pictures

The number of asylum applications, which is a different measure to the number of applicants as there can be several applicants on each application, hit a record 125,100 in 1999. It is unknown how many applicants there were at this time as there is no data available.

It is “likely” the backlog of applications for the year to December 2022 would surpass the 125,100 mark, sources suggest.

The backlog stood at 117,000 in September last year. Since then, more than 12,700 migrants have reached the UK by crossing the Channel. This means the number of applicants is likely to be a similar record.

Does the UK have a migrant crisis? — video

Despite a 62 per cent increase in caseworkers from 2011 to 2021, decision-making rates decreased by the same amount in this period.

Staff on average have been processing about 18,000 applications a year.

On this basis, there will need to be a five-fold improvement in productivity to hit Mr Sunak’s target of clearing the 92,061 legacy-case asylum claims submitted by June 2022, when new rules were introduced by the Nationality and Borders Act.

“The government is taking immediate action to bring the asylum backlog down and has set out new plans to clear the initial asylum decision backlog of legacy cases by the end of this year,” a Home Office spokesman said.

“We have doubled the number of asylum caseworkers to more than 1,000 and we will double it again while rolling out a successful pilot scheme nationwide to boost the number of claims processed.”

HWJN
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Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Royal wedding inspired menu

Ginger, citrus and orange blossom iced tea

Avocado ranch dip with crudites

Cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese mini club sandwiches

Elderflower and lemon syllabub meringue

ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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Schedule for Asia Cup

Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)

Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)

Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four

Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai) 

Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)

Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 28: Final (Dubai)

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Everton%20Fixtures
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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

W.
Wael Kfoury
(Rotana)

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SNAPSHOT

While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.

The%20specs%3A%20Panamera%20Turbo%20E-Hybrid
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E680hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E930Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh749%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Panamera
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SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:

Ajax 2-3 Tottenham

Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate

Final: June 1, Madrid

Company profile

Company name: Nestrom

Started: 2017

Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi

Based: Jordan

Sector: Technology

Initial investment: Close to $100,000

Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Director: Shawn Levy

Rating: 3/5

Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars

Museum of the Future in numbers
  •  78 metres is the height of the museum
  •  30,000 square metres is its total area
  •  17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
  •  14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
  •  1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior 
  •  7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
  •  2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
  •  100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
  •  Dh145 is the price of a ticket
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Director: Jon Watts

Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon 

Rating:*****

SHAITTAN
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The%20specs
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The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

Company%20profile
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Hot%20Seat
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: February 22, 2023, 10:52 AM`