Asylum backlog target met with more than 112,000 cases cleared: Sunak

LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that he has delivered on his commitment with more than 112,000 asylum cases being processed in the past year and small boat crossing arrivals down by 36 percent.

In December 2022, Sunak pledged to tackle the remaining legacy asylum backlog -- which had more than 92,000 cases of individuals who claimed asylum before 28 June 2022 and were still waiting for an initial decision.

Fundamental changes to the decision-making process and boosting efficiency have resulted in 112,000 asylum decisions this year, and the highest annual number of substantive decisions in a year since 2002, the UK Home Office said in a statement.

"I am determined to end the burden of illegal migration on the British people. That is why we have taken action to stop the boats, return hotels to their local communities, and deter those wanting to come here illegally from doing so," Sunak said in a statement.

"By clearing the legacy asylum backlog, deciding more than 112,000 cases, we are saving the taxpayer millions of pounds in expensive hotel costs, reducing strain on public services, and ensuring the most vulnerable receive the right support," he added.

The government said it stepped up processing, deploying an additional 1,200 caseworkers, meeting their target to double the number of asylum caseworkers and tripling productivity to ensure more illegal migrants are returned to their country of origin.

All cases in the 'legacy backlog' have now been reviewed, with 86,800 decisions made, the Home Office said.

In one four-week period from November 20 to December 17, 2023, there were 20,481 initial asylum decisions made, this is more than the number of asylum decisions made in the entirety of 2021.

While all cases have been reviewed and 112,000 decisions made overall, 4,500 complex cases have been highlighted that require additional checks or investigation for a final decision to be made.

According to the Home Office, these "hard cases" typically relate to asylum seekers presenting as children -- where age verification is taking place; those with serious medical issues; or those with suspected past convictions, where checks may reveal criminality that would bar asylum.

Ending the 'legacy' asylum backlog comes as end-of-year statistics show small boat crossings were down by 36 percent in 2023.

In recent months, crossings have fallen even more sharply -- by 45 percent in the second half of the year and 64 percent in the final quarter of 2023, against equivalent periods in 2022.

This is despite sea crossings into Europe surging by 80 percent in 2023.

"I will continue to do everything possible to stop the boats. No people smuggler will be safe, we will work with law enforcement partners and governments across the world who want to tackle this threat and ensure that British taxpayer money is not wasted on people trying to abuse our generosity," Home Secretary James Cleverly said.

The government said it will progress its Safety of Rwanda Bill through Parliament, which will deem Rwanda a safe country for illegal immigrants.