Asylum appeal backlog at record high, new figures show

The backlog of asylum entreaty cases has reached a caller grounds high, according to Ministry of Justice figures.

Nearly 87,500 appeals to overturn failed asylum applications had been lodged astatine the extremity of March 2026 - a 70% year-on-year increase.

While the authorities has sharply reduced the backlog of cases awaiting an archetypal decision, the fig of appeals to beryllium resolved has risen, meaning the wide asylum caseload remains higher than erstwhile Labour took office.

Cabinet curate Hilary Benn told the BBC connected Friday the authorities had "dealt with the backlogs, we're present processing asylum claims overmuch much quicker".

The authorities has chopped the fig of outstanding asylum cases awaiting a archetypal decision. At the extremity of March determination were 35,744, down from 85,839 conscionable earlier Labour took bureau successful June 2024.

However, that simplification has been much than offset by a emergence successful appeals, pushing the full backlog to 123,194 cases. That is astir 4,000 much than the 119,066 full cases outstanding successful June 2024.

While the full backlog remains higher than June 2024, it has fallen implicit caller quarters and down from the highest of 141,647 successful June 2023 nether the erstwhile Conservative government.

The Home Office said: "These figures bespeak the advancement this authorities has made successful tackling the asylum backlog, with the fig of radical waiting for an archetypal determination falling by 72% since June 2023."

It went connected to accidental the authorities is carrying our reforms to velocity up the appeals process and "ensure those with nary close to beryllium present cannot hold their removal."

Peter Walsh from the Migration Observatory astatine the University of Oxford told BBC Verify 1 backlog was being shifted to another.

"The authorities has been processing archetypal claims faster and the archetypal determination assistance complaint is little than it's been for immoderate time", helium said.

"Many much refusals pull a close of entreaty and that's wherefore you spot the fig shifting from 1 backlog to another."

Walsh added that tackling these backlogs is important due to the fact that they outgo the authorities wealth arsenic asylum seekers are not allowed to enactment and indispensable trust connected authorities support.

"Labour is introducing a caller appeals strategy wherever appeals volition beryllium heard not beryllium judge, but by an autarkic adjudicator. So they're hoping that volition summation the throughput of the appeals system".

In the aforesaid interview, Benn incorrectly said the authorities had "deported astir 70,000 radical that person nary close to beryllium here".

That is not close due to the fact that the fig refers to each "returns", arsenic defined by the Home Office, not deportations alone.

Home Office statistic amusement determination were 67,188 returns betwixt July 2024 and March 2026. These see radical who near the UK voluntarily arsenic good arsenic those who were removed by the authorities.

A "deportation" is simply a circumstantial benignant of "enforced return" utilized for criminals oregon radical whose removal would beryllium successful the nationalist interest.

Of the total, 16,476 were classified arsenic "enforced" portion the bulk - 50,712 - were "voluntary" returns.

While immoderate voluntary returns impact authorities help, including fiscal assistance, past information shows galore radical permission the UK without officials knowing.