80,000 asylum seekers languish on wait list for decision for six months or more
Figure includes nearly 20,000 fleeing war or persecution in Afghanistan, Syria and Iran, who are likely housed in hotels Refugee Action has called ‘human warehouses’
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More than 80,000 asylum seekers had been waiting at least six months for a decision on whether they could stay in Britain as of September this year — including nearly 20,000 fleeing war and persecution in Afghanistan, Syria and Iran.
Data released by the Home Office on Thursday shows that 8,998 Afghans, 6,969 Iranians and 3,369 Syrians are among 83,888 asylum seekers who have been on the waiting list since March or earlier. All three countries have majority Muslim populations, though the Home Office does not reveal the religion of those waiting for asylum claims — nor how much longer than six months they have waited. In some cases, this could be years.
Those in limbo may be stuck in so-called “processing centres” or unsuitable hotel accommodation that Refugee Action has called “human warehouses”. The Guardian reported in July that the Home Office had received hundreds of complaints over the previous year from people in asylum hotels alleging abuse and ill treatment from staff, insufficient mental health support, inedible food and a lack of milk for children.
“Waits of two to four years are common for our clients,” said Ravishaan Rahel Muthiah, director of communications at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, which provides legal advice and campaigns for migrants’ rights.
“In the meantime, we often see a severe deterioration in their mental health. We must remember, many of these people have experienced unimaginable trauma already. They come here seeking safety and a chance to start a new life. Instead, they are left in constant fear that they may be forcibly returned.”
The Big Issue identified in September that at least 19 asylum seekers had been waiting 10 or more years for a decision, with one still stuck in the system 16 years after applying.
Meanwhile, 16,139 asylum seekers who came to Britain by small boat have been waiting for a decision for at least a year. Just 6% of the 26,281 people who arrived in boats in 2023 had received an initial decision as of 30 June 2024, including 9% of the 5,433 Afghans who arrived in this way.
The total number of people of all nationalities waiting for an initial decision on their asylum applications in the UK has risen to 133,409, the highest on record since 1989, with 63% of those having done so for at least six months and some 35,561 living in hotels. The government has opened seven further hotels to accommodate asylum seekers since July, despite a push by the former Conservative government to shut as many as possible.
Then prime minister Rishi Sunak pledged to “abolish” the asylum backlog in 2022, and the Home Office announced in January this year that it had cleared 112,000 asylum cases in 2023. Of these, 24,000 applications were “withdrawn”, up from 5,300 in 2022 — which can mean the cases were closed because the claimant had no contact address or did not respond to letters on time.
But thousands of cases resurfaced earlier this year, when figures released by the Ministry of Justice for January to March showed 10,000 new appeals lodged — an increase of 330%.
A letter from the Home Office from January 2024 also showed that half of all asylum cases withdrawn by 30 September 2023 had since re-entered the system.
“There are two separate backlogs — those awaiting initial decisions and those who were refused, have appealed and are now waiting on a decision on their appeal,” said Migration Observatory director Madeleine Sumption.
“There’s now a big backlog in the courts. The problem has to some extent shifted from case workers to judges in courts.”
Thursday’s data also showed that 206 Palestinians had waited more than six months for a decision, with 292 having applied more recently. The Conservative government resisted calls to open a bespoke visa scheme for Palestinians as the conflict in Gaza escalated, despite having done so for Ukrainians, Afghans and Syrians.
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