UK asylum delays, backlogs lead to inefficiencies, 'wasted public funds'

LONDON

Years-long backlogs and unresolved claims caused by short-term measures in UK asylum system led to inefficiencies and wasted public funds, the country's public spending watchdog said on Wednesday.

In its report, National Audit Office (NAO) analyzed a sample of 5,000 asylum claims lodged almost three years ago and found that over half (56%) of those people still do not have a final outcome.

Since January 2023, only 35% of those asylum seekers had been given some sort of protection such as refugee status, and 9% had been removed from the country.

For years, short-term, reactive measures have shifted pressures within the asylum system, creating new backlogs and leaving many claims unresolved for extended periods, according to the NAO.

"This has led to inefficiencies, wasted public funds, and harm to both asylum seekers’ life chances and the government’s ability to meet its obligations to them and UK citizens," the independent parliamentary body said.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said the analysis shows the efforts of successive governments to improve the efficiency of the asylum system have often been "short-term and narrowly focused," reacting to backlogs and rising costs.

He also pointed out the need for an effective action on the bottlenecks in the current system using better quality data and streamlined decision-making to successfully implementing the new asylum model.

The Refugee Council charity labeled the figures "shocking," saying the report shows "an asylum system that is simply not functioning."

"... the delays, bottlenecks and system failures push them into uncertainty, ill-health and, too often, homelessness," the charity said on US social media company X.