The Home Office and the UK Border Agency (UKBA) completed the review into the asylum seekers legacy backlog ahead of
schedule at the end of last month. 450,000 case files have now been closed and the government is as pleased as punch. Earlier in the summer, Damian Green heralded the achievement as one of
“three fundamental changes to the asylum system.”
Not everyone shares his enthusiasm and serious concerns about UKBA remain. First, the review is incomplete. An as yet unidentified number of cases have been granted ‘temporary leave to remain’ for up to 3 years, which merely defers the decision to grant asylum or deport. The Home Office concedes that there are a “minor” number of such cases; but a spokesman at the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association says that the figure is likely to run into the “tens of thousands”, based on anecdotal evidence from UKBA officials and immigration lawyers.
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