Applications for asylum in the UK have soared by more than 20,000 in three months, leaving more than 140,000 people waiting for a decision on their claims.
Figures provided by the Home Office for the year to September 2022 show 143,377 asylum applications were yet to be determined, of which 97,717 had been waiting for more than six months.
This is at least three times higher than the 45,255 applications awaiting an initial decision at the same period in 2019, when 26,125 had been waiting for more than six months.
Other figures show decisions have been made on only 139 (2 per cent) applications from more than 35,000 migrants who crossed the Channel between October 2021 and August this year.
Campaigners described the asylum system as being in “complete disarray” and said the long waiting times were “destroying lives”, while politicians claimed the Home Office was a “disaster zone”.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman set a target for caseworkers to make three decisions a week by May and an “ambition” to get to four.
Migrants at immigration processing centre in Manston - in pictures
The current rate of processing asylum claims is too low and the system is too slow, with caseworkers making just one decision a week on average, Ms Braverman told MPs.
Meanwhile, the Home Office is paying staff bonuses to stop them leaving in a bid to help cut the backlog, the department’s permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft said.
The department has about 1,000 asylum caseworkers but is hiring more. There are due to be about 1,500 by March, depending on staff turnover.
About 85,902 people applied for asylum in the year to September — the highest number for almost two decades since the 87,160 applications recorded in the 12 months to June 2003.
Migrant crossings on the English Channel surge amid heatwave - in pictures
The latest figure is almost double the number of applications made for the same period in 2019 (44,145).
But it is still lower than the previous peak in 2002 when there was conflict and political unrest in Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Somalia.
Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused the government of having “no proper grip or control”.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael claimed the Home Office was a “disaster zone” wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money every day.
The Institute for Public Policy Research said the asylum system was in “serious peril”, while the British Red Cross said the backlog was rising at an “alarming rate.”
Amnesty International UK said the system was in “complete disarray” and urged Ms Braverman to “completely overhaul her disastrous asylum policy.”
Ministers must set up a “dedicated and well-resourced” taskforce to improve the processing of asylum claims, Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said.
Nearly 700 migrants cross English Channel beating 2022 record - in pictures
Maria Stephens, head of campaigns at Refugee Action, said: “Snowballing delays in processing asylum claims are destroying lives.”
Ms Stephens renewed calls for the government to give people the right to work while they are awaiting a decision.
She said this would be a boost for businesses, provide millions of pounds in tax and national insurance, and help the well-being of asylum seekers.
The sharp rise in the number of asylum applications is probably linked to the growing number of migrants crossing the channel to the UK, with 90 per cent of arrivals in the 12 months (31,891) claiming asylum or being recorded as a dependant on an application.
Albania was the top nationality claiming asylum, with 13,650 applications made in the period. Of these, 6,624 were from Albanians who had crossed the Channel.
The data published on Thursday also shows the grant rate for asylum applications has reached its highest level for more than 30 years.
Afghan migrant documents dangerous journey across Channel - video
About 77 per cent of applications were granted some form of refugee status or other humanitarian protection at the initial decision stage.
This is the highest grant rate since 82 per cent in 1990. But the volume of applications was lower at the time, amounting to 3,320 grants of asylum or other forms of protection.
Higher grant rates are thought to be due to a rise in applications from nationalities that typically have applications approved because of their circumstances, and a greater need for protection for those facing instability in their homeland, such as Afghans, and vulnerable cases given priority during processing.
About half of Albanian asylum claims were granted. The grant rate is particularly high for women from the Balkan state, at about 82 per cent, but only about 10 per cent for Albanian men, officials say.
Does the UK have a migrant crisis? - video
Albanians crossing the Channel to the UK this year are said to have mainly been men.
Grant rates are also high for people from Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea, about 98 per cent, while Indians had the lowest grant rate with about 4 per cent.
Meanwhile, more than 9,000 Afghan refugees are living in hotels 15 months after the Taliban takeover of their homeland and half of them are children, figures show.
The Home Office said 9,242 Afghans were in temporary accommodation as of November 4, living in 63 hotels and “around half” were children.
This suggests there are at least 4,000 children and that there is an average of about 147 people staying in each hotel.
There are also 7,572 people who have moved into private homes, with 779 who have been found a place to live and are waiting to move in.
This does not include families who have made their own accommodation arrangements. About 217 people have also refused offers of accommodation, the latest report said.
More than 200 migrants cross English Channel after pause in journeys - video
This is because some have been offered jobs or have ties to other areas.
But some have been “concerned about moving to an unfamiliar area that they perceive to be remote or with limited access to services/amenities and job opportunities”.
“We are working hard to identify and address the concerns which are impacting on the willingness of families to move to properties allocated to them, and we’re providing them with information about the property they’ve been offered, and the area, to reassure them,” the Home Office said.
The government pledged to resettle 20,000 refugees, with as many as 5,000 in the first year under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme after the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August last year.
The figures show that overall 22,833 people have arrived in the UK, including British nationals, their families and Afghans who worked for the UK.
Indefinite leave to remain has been granted to 12,296 people, 6,314 of whom are under the ACRS scheme.
There are 5,982 under the existing Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, which was set up to bring current or former locally employed staff who were assessed to be under serious threat to life to the UK.
Families of migrants who died crossing English Channel speak out - video
Afghans are now the second highest nationality of migrants crossing the Channel to the UK.
About 4,781 made the journey between January and September compared to 1,437 during the whole of 2021, Home Office figures show.
It is not known whether any of them have applied for either of the Afghan resettlement schemes.
Officials believe these are mostly Afghans who have been in Europe for some time, rather than travelling directly from their homeland after fleeing the Taliban takeover.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
EA Sports FC 24
MATCH INFO
Barcelona v Real Madrid, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
