The Refugee Council figures also showed a further 725 people – 155 of them children – have been waiting more than five years for their applications to be assessed by the Home Office. It comes as ministers are understood to be considering larger and more basic sites, including derelict student accommodation and defunct or defunct holiday parks, to house asylum seekers awaiting a decision. In the wake of the overcrowding crisis at the Manston processing center in Kent, the government has negotiated a deal with the French government to slow the number of arrivals on UK shores. A deal to put more British Border Force personnel on French shores is expected on Monday. The deal – in which the UK is expected to pay France at least £60m – will significantly increase the 200 police and volunteer officers deployed on beaches in northern France. Government figures show more than 40,000 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK so far this year. On Saturday, 972 people were found on 22 boats, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced. Using freedom of information requests, the Refugee Council found that the number of people awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim jumped to 122,206 in June – a fourfold increase in five years. A third of them, 40,913, have been waiting between one and three years, the figures show. Almost 10,000 people – 9,551 – waited between three and five years. The asylum backlog in December 2017 stood at 29,522. The comparison over 10 years is even more extreme. In December 2012, the number of people awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim was just 12,808. Figures show the number of people waiting in the asylum system has grown exponentially over the past five years – challenging claims it is falling on higher numbers crossing the channel in small boats this year. The figures come a week after Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said reducing backlogs was a priority in order to reduce the daily cost of housing 27,000 people in hotels – a further 60,000 in others funded by the Home Office. accommodation. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. He wants a significant increase in productivity – tripling the number of applications each worker completes in a week. Last month, Home Office officials admitted to MPs that only 4% of migrants arriving in small boats in 2021 had received a decision. Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said: “Immediate action must be taken to address the huge backlog of men, women and children stranded while waiting years for a decision on their asylum claim, costing millions of pounds a day for hosting them. in often poor quality hotels. “These people have come to the UK seeking safety but are being condemned to years of worry and uncertainty, with a serious impact on their mental health, rather than being able to put down roots in their new community and rebuild their lives. “There are clear steps this government could take immediately to address this situation.”
