Table Of Contents
- Strain on the System
- The Refugee Council blames the previous government
- The New Government’s Effort to Change the Situation
As per the Ministry of Justice, UK, figures, at the end of 2024, almost 42000 people whose initial application for asylum was rejected by the Home Office are waiting for an appeal hearing. This is up from 7,173 at the start of 2023. This backlog is a 500% surge in the number of appeal cases over the last two years that are yet to be heard in UK courts.
Strain on the System
More backlogs and asylum seekers accommodated in hotels are straining the system. There is a rising cost pressure as well because almost 40000 asylum applicants are still accommodated in hotels at the end of 2024. This is despite the Home Office doubling the number of decisions made on initial applications from asylum seekers. The Refugee Council warned it is going to cost taxpayers nearly £1.5 billion this year if the number of people put in hotels does not fall.
The Refugee Council blames the previous government
The Refugee Council blamed the previous conservative government for it. It said the legislation introduced by the previous government made it more difficult for people to prove their refugee status.
The Afghans faced the problem in a big way due to the new legislation. This is why, Afghan people are the highest in numbers housed in hotels and coming to the UK by small boats in the last two years.
This is because the enactment of the Nationality and Borders Act by the previous government resulted in only 4 out of 10 Afghans being granted permission to stay in the UK late last year. This resulted in an increase in the number of appeals by Afghans. Before the enactment of the act, almost all Afghans seeking asylum were granted the same.
The chief executive of the Refugee Council, Enver Solomon, said, “Right first-time decision-making will ensure refugees are given safety to go on to contribute to communities across the country, and those who don’t have a right to stay in the UK are removed with dignity and respect.”
The New Government’s Effort to Change the Situation
The current labor government is determined to put an end to the problem of the rising number of appeals by failed asylum seekers. Currently, courts take almost 46 weeks for each appeal hearing. The government aims to amend the border security bill to reduce it to a 24-week legal deadline.
The Home Office accuses that due to long delays in hearing the appeal for asylum cases, migrant hotels have clogged up. However, the government is determined to reduce the number of migrants in asylum hotels and significantly reduce the costs of accommodation.
The Labor government is also going to launch a £20 million package to tackle the backlog issue. This includes increasing the legal aid fees for lawyers representing asylum seekers.
Source: BBC
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