UK Asylum Claims Processing Slows Down

The U.K.'s asylum backlog, which refers to the number of pending applications, has ceased to decline in the first half of 2024, according to a report from Oxford University’s Migration Observatory. This backlog has been a focal point for successive governments aiming to curb overall migration. The stagnation may be linked to the outgoing Conservative government's caseworkers slowing down the processing of newer claims, complicated by recent legislative changes. Data reveals that while there was progress in reducing the backlog throughout 2023, the situation changed in early 2024. In the second quarter, decisions were made on 15,965 applications, a significant drop from 24,348 in the first quarter. By the end of June 2024, 118,882 individuals remained in limbo, attributed to both an influx of new applications and ongoing dysfunction within the Home Office, which manages immigration and asylum. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had previously pledged to tackle the backlog, including increasing the number of caseworkers, and had seen some success. However, the complexity of new cases, particularly those affected by the Illegal Migration Act, has hindered progress. Individuals who applied before June 2022 fall under older asylum rules, known as the 'legacy' backlog, which has been prioritized in processing. Experts, including Dr. Peter Walsh from the Migration Observatory, suggest that while the government managed to address older applications, the newer, more complex cases have led to a slowdown in processing. This trend indicates that political efforts have not significantly impacted the asylum numbers in recent years.