Boomerang refugees lodge successful claims after being previously refused
According to shocking figures, a growing number of failed asylum seekers have been able to sneak back into the UK and then be allowed to stay after making a second claim. The statistics for 2021, which are the latest available, show that a total of 113 'boomerang refugees' lodged successful claims in a year, despite being previously refused and removed from the country. This is an increase from the 39 cases in 2020 and the 50 cases in 2019.
Second claims made just weeks after initial rejection
The figures, obtained from the Home Office, reveal that some failed asylum seekers waited years to make new claims, while others lodged their second claim just weeks after being turned down the first time. One case highlighted an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK in April 2020, had their application refused, and was returned to France in August of that year. However, just two months later, they reappeared in the UK and put in another asylum claim that was approved ten months later.
Long delays and multiple attempts to secure asylum
Another case mentioned a claimant who arrived in the UK in July 1998. Their initial claim was rejected in April 2007, and they were returned to Sri Lanka. However, 12 years later, in 2019, they returned to the UK, and their second application took two years to be granted. The data also shows instances where failed asylum seekers were sent back to countries such as Namibia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Pakistan, and Albania, only to return to the UK and successfully lodge a second claim.
Concerns raised over the system and taxpayer burden
Alp Mehmet, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, expressed his bafflement at these reversals of earlier decisions, stating that failed applicants and their legal representatives likely learn from previous failures and modify their claims accordingly. He added, "No wonder we are now seen as a gullible, soft touch. And the poor old, put-upon taxpayer foots the bill."
A Home Office spokesperson defended the asylum system, stating that all applications are considered on their individual merits and that changes in personal circumstances or conditions in the applicant's home country are taken into account. They also highlighted the government's efforts to address illegal migration through the Illegal Migration Act, which aims to detain and promptly remove those who arrive in the UK illegally to their country of origin or a safe third country.
