Diaspora (Commonwealth Union) _ In a parliamentary discussion about Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s initiative to clear the asylum backlog by year-end, the UK Home Office disclosed that over 17,000 asylum seekers, whose claims were discontinued, are currently unaccounted for. The discontinuation of these claims resulted from the claimants’ failure to respond to interview requests or questionnaires. Senior officials admitted uncertainty about the whereabouts of these individuals, emphasizing the challenge of tracking them down.
When queried about the possibility of some asylum seekers returning to their home countries, Home Office official Simon Ridley acknowledged a lack of information on such cases. Notably, 17,316 applications have been withdrawn since December of the previous year due to non-responsiveness from claimants. The withdrawal of an application implies that it is no longer under consideration, potentially leaving the individual in the UK illegally, subject to removal.
In 2021 alone, 2,141 applications were either refused or withdrawn, marking a notable increase from the 24,403 refusals or withdrawals recorded in 2004. The current “legacy backlog” stands at 39,668 cases as of the end of September, relating to asylum claims made before June 2022.
Sir Matthew Rycroft, the Home Office’s most senior civil servant, expressed the government’s confidence in reaching the prime minister’s target. To address the backlog, the government has hired additional case workers to assess claims. However, officials face pressure to expedite the process as plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda continue. Despite the government’s confidence, the Supreme Court ruled the plan unlawful, citing the risk of asylum seekers being returned to their home countries, a violation of UK and international human rights laws.
