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Cases awaiting asylum decision have doubled over past two
years, with over 100,000 currently undecided
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Concern that legal routes to resettlement are failing most
small boat arrivals after strong official focus on Ukrainians
and Afghans
IPPR’s analysis of today’s quarterly migration and asylum
statistics, covering the year ending June 2022, highlights the
following trends:
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The vast majority of small boat arrivals
between January 2018 and June 2022 claimed asylum (94 per
cent), but most of the main applicants (82 per cent) are still
awaiting an initial decision.
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Of around 7,000 who have received an initial
decision since 2018, 43 per cent were not considered
for asylum because the government is seeking to remove them to
a safe third country. But of those cases that were considered,
86 per cent were successful.
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The number of asylum applications pending
decision has continued to increase. The number of
cases awaiting initial decision or further review stands at
more than 100,000, more than twice as many as two years ago.
There are now around 70,000 cases awaiting initial decision for
more than six months.
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The most common nationalities of small boat
arrivals in the first half of this year have been Albanians and
Afghans, each making up 18 per cent of total arrivals. This
marks a significant shift from 2021, when the most common
nationalities were Iranians and Iraqis.
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Resettlement numbers under government schemes,
outside the bespoke Afghan and Ukraine schemes, remain very low
since the pandemic. Around 1,600 people were resettled in the
12 months to June 2022, compared with around 5,600 in
2019.
Commenting on the figures, Marley Morris, IPPR associate
director for migration, trade and communities,
said:
“Today’s figures reveal that the vast majority of small boat
arrivals are claiming asylum and that when they have their claim
considered they are successful. But many are at risk of
being relocated to Rwanda under the government’s new
plans.
“But it’s also clear that too many of these claims are stuck
in the system, as the number of asylum applications awaiting
initial decision or further review has risen to above 100,000 –
more than double the figure from just two years ago.
“One year since the Afghan evacuation, the figures also show
that nearly a fifth of small boat arrivals this year are from
Afghanistan. Despite the government’s claims to support Afghan
refugees, many believe they are being left with no option but to
attempt the dangerous journey across the Channel.
“These figures make clear that the asylum system needs urgent
reform. The government should ramp up safe and legal routes,
speed up asylum decision making, and drop its inhumane plans to
relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda.”
