In any given period, the change in the size of the asylum backlog is driven by the number of new asylum applications, minus the number of “substantive decisions” and withdrawn applications. [...] Understanding the policy The ‘legacy’ and ‘flow’ backlogs In a speech to the House of Commons on 13 December 2022, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to clear the asylum backlog by the end of 2023. [...] UK PAGE 8 BRIEFING: The UK’s asylum backlog Around 24,000 asylum applications were withdrawn in 2023, over four times more than the year before The number of withdrawn asylum applications rose sharply in 2023, which contributed to the decline in the backlog (Figure 5). [...] BRIEFING: The UK’s asylum backlog The number of asylum caseworkers increased sharply in 2023, and productivity recovered after a long period of decline In response to the growing backlog, the Home Office signific. [...] The larger the backlog, the greater the cost of providing this support.
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Table of Contents
- AUTHORS Mihnea Cuibus 1
- Peter William Walsh Madeleine Sumption 1
- PUBLISHED 03052024 1
- BRIEFING 2
- The UKs asylum backlog 2
- Key Points 2
- Between 2018 and 2022 the UKs asylum backlog increased sharply from 27000 to 132000 applications. It fell by 28 in 2023 following several government measures to process applications faster. 2
- The number of asylum caseworkers increased sharply in 2023 and productivity recovered after a long period of decline. 2
- The Prime Minister pledged to clear the legacy backlog of older asylum claims by the end of 2023. The government processed 96 of these claims that year but 3900 applications remained. 2
- Slow asylum decision-making is financially costly and hampers refugee integration. 2
- Some other high-income countries have also struggled with asylum backlogs. At the end of 2023 the UK had the fifth-largest asylum backlog in Europe. 2
- The UK has accumulated a large backlog of asylum cases. This briefing examines what we know about the asylum backlog its causes and its consequences. 2
- Understanding the evidence 2
- BRIEFING 3
- The UKs asylum backlog 3
- Understanding the policy 3
- BRIEFING 4
- The UKs asylum backlog 4
- BRIEFING 5
- The UKs asylum backlog 5
- The UKs total asylum backlog fell by 28 in 2023 after twelve years of growth 5
- BRIEFING 6
- The UKs asylum backlog 6
- BRIEFING 7
- The UKs asylum backlog 7
- Just over half of applicants awaiting decisions at the end of 2023 face new rules that make it much harder for them to receive legal status in the UK 7
- BRIEFING 8
- The UKs asylum backlog 8
- BRIEFING 9
- The UKs asylum backlog 9
- Around 24000 asylum applications were withdrawn in 2023 over four times more than the year before 9
- BRIEFING 10
- The UKs asylum backlog 10
- The number of asylum caseworkers increased sharply in 2023 and productivity recovered after a long period of decline 10
- BRIEFING 11
- The UKs asylum backlog 11
- BRIEFING 12
- The UKs asylum backlog 12
- Slow asylum decision-making is financially costly and hampers refugee integration 12
- BRIEFING 13
- The UKs asylum backlog 13
- BRIEFING 14
- The UKs asylum backlog 14
- At the end of 2023 the UK had the fifth-largest asylum backlog in Europe 14
- BRIEFING 15
- The UKs asylum backlog 15
- Acknowledgments 15
- BRIEFING 16
- The UKs asylum backlog 16
- The Migration Observatory 16
- About the authors 16
- COMPAS 16
- Press contact 16
- Recommended citation 16
