There are 29,000 asylum cases that lie unresolved from 2007 or before, 11,000 of which are still waiting for an initial decision.
These statistics are immediately shocking – what we at RAPAR would like to emphasise is the everyday torment behind the statistics.
This backlog means that thousands of vulnerable people have lived a huge portion of their lives in limbo, at the mercy of an interminable bureaucracy that systematically ignores and excludes them.
Many of our members are directly affected by this backlog – for example, RAPAR Vice-Chair and community leader Mohammed Alhalengy is currently awaiting a decision on his case, which dates back to June 2006.
It is imperative that the government and wider society recognise just how much distress this limbo can cause for asylum seekers, and work towards a fair and supportive asylum system.
Current reports:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/10/29/asylum-seeker_n_6065970.html?1414569632&utm_hp_ref=uk
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/29/britain-immigration-system-in-chaos-report-reveals
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/11192729/Asylum-backlog-soars-by-70pc-despite-Home-Office-shake-up-warn-MPs.html