Tens of thousands not allowed to work, stuck
in temporary accommodation and unable to be removed to
Rwanda
Home Office legacy backlog has been replaced with new
perma-backlog, costing the taxpayer millions
The only feasible solution is for the government to start
processing asylum claims
The government has replaced the legacy
backlog of asylum seeker applications, with a new perma-backlog
of people who can’t have their claims processed, are unable to be
deported to Rwanda and risk being left indefinitely in taxpayer
funded temporary accommodation, finds the Institute for Public
Policy Research.
The Illegal Migration Act means
that everyone seeking asylum who arrives in the UK via irregular
means after 20 July 2023 can’t have their claim processed by the
Home Office, and instead will be removed to their home country or
to a third country like Rwanda. While the Act has not yet been
implemented in full, the Home Office has signaled these claims
are pending until the Rwanda plan is
working.
At the same time, the legislation
means that any irregular arrival since 7 March 2023 cannot in
general be given permission to stay. Reports suggest that these
claims are also on hold.
In the long run, it is highly doubtful
the small country of Rwanda will ever be able to accept tens of
thousands of people. This in effect leaves up to 55,500 people in
a new perma-backlog, and the number is only
growing.
The perma-backlog is going to cost an
increasingly large sum of money. As this group are unable to
work, the Home Office is responsible for providing accommodation
and financial support. In 2022/23 the asylum system cost £3.97
billion, compared with £500 million a decade
earlier.
Additionally, the Home Office now has
2,405 members of staff whose job is to process asylum claims, but
with very few claims they are actually able to
process.
IPPR is calling for the government to
start processing claims, so asylum seekers can either get leave
to remain and start working, or be removed back to their home
country.
Marley Morris, associate
director for migration at IPPR,
said:
“Chaos in the home office has led
to tens of thousands of asylum seekers stuck in a perma-backlog,
unable to get on with their lives and costing the taxpayer
millions. This was an entirely predictable outcome of the Illegal
Migration Act. The only way to escape this situation is for the
Home Office to start processing
claims.”
ENDS
