Asylum: Applications

(asked on 6th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the processing of asylum claims, what steps they are taking (1) to improve the quality of decision-making, (2) to prioritise the most vulnerable cases and those who have been waiting longest, and (3) to improve access to good quality legal advice for applicants.


This question was answered on 20th December 2022

The Home Office have an asylum transformation programme that will speed up and simplify decision making, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision. These initiatives include conducting shorter, more focused interviews or omitting interviews where it is appropriate to do so; streamlining decision templates for grants and refusals; and focusing on improving quality to ensure decisions are right first time.

We are currently concentrating on deciding older claims, high harm cases, those cases with extreme vulnerability, children and new flow cases, whilst those in receipt of support are a priority for Legacy cases.

All asylum claimants have the opportunity to be legally represented during their asylum claim, and legal aid funding is provided to those who need it.

Reticulating Splines