Rishi Sunak government boosts migrant return numbers in final year

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The number of migrants deported increased by almost a fifth in the 12 months to the end of June, amid a major push by the previous Conservative government to speed up the processing of asylum claims.

The number of failed asylum claimants and other types of migrants, including foreign criminals, returning home rose to 53,228 from 44,751 in the same period last year, according to Home Office figures published on Thursday.

The number of forced deportations increased by 48% to 7,190 compared with the previous year, although the number of voluntary deportations, or those turned back when attempting to enter the country at ports, was much higher.

The data also showed that the number of “irregular arrivals”, including those crossing in small boats and entering illegally in trucks, fell 26% to 38,784.

At the same time, the asylum backlog has been slashed. At the end of June, there were 85,839 cases awaiting a preliminary decision, 36% less than a year ago. Rishi SunakThe government is trying to process applications quickly and reduce reliance on expensive asylum hotels while people await decisions.

The data will run until the end of June this year, just days before the general election on July 4. This means it will be seen as evidence of the legacy of the Sunak government rather than any policies adopted by Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government.

There were 91,885 preliminary decisions on asylum applications in the past 12 months, four times the number in the previous year. Of those preliminary decisions, less than 60 per cent were for protection, which is granted to people fleeing danger or persecution, down from 71 per cent in the year to June 2023, suggesting the previous government was struggling to implement a tougher asylum system.

The number of caseworkers processing asylum claims has increased by 60 per cent in the past 12 months to 2,500. Labour says it will hire 1,000 more caseworkers to reduce the backlog more quickly.

Starmer pledged to “crack down” on criminal gangs that use small boats to traffic asylum seekers across the English Channel, reduce migrants’ reliance on expensive hotels and increase the number of failed asylum seekers and migrants sent back home.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced this week that the government plans to increase the number of returned migrants – which have fallen sharply over the past decade – to 2018 levels. The government has set a target of repatriating 14,500 migrants over the next six months.

Labour plans to set up a “removal team” within the Home Office to quickly vet people from “safe” countries such as Albania and India for swift repatriation. The team would also deal with people whose asylum claims have been rejected or who have committed criminal offences.

Interior Ministry officials said the government has currently employed 300 people in the department and plans to employ 1,000 people in the department.

It has also previously said it would seek bilateral repatriation deals with countries deemed safe, including Vietnam, Turkey and Kurdistan, as well as a new repatriation agreement with the European Union.

Despite the decline in irregular arrivals, the number of people crossing the border by small boats has increased by 10% so far this year compared to last year, with more than 19,200 people crossing as of August 19.

This is largely due to a surge in tourists from Vietnam, with 2,248 arriving from January to June, four times the number from the same period last year, compared with 2,000 from Afghanistan, 1,600 from Iran and 1,400 from Syria.

It is more challenging for the government to repatriate asylum seekers arriving from war-torn countries because, under international law, no one seeking asylum can be returned to a country where their safety would be endangered.