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200,000 asylum seekers to get amnesty
Last updated at 23:22pm on 31.03.07
'Embarrassed': Home Secretary John Reid
Up to 200,000 asylum seekers will be allowed to remain in Britain because Home Office officials admit they will never be able to track them down.
The extraordinary amnesty is the latest embarrassment for Home Secretary John Reid, who has staked his reputation on his pledge to make the department 'fit for purpose'.
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His high-profile blitz last year aimed to clear the backlog of 450,000 asylum files - some dating back more than 15 years.
But The Mail on Sunday has learned that officials have privately conceded that almost half of those applicants have been written off as 'untraceable'.
The 200,000 figure emerged at a meeting of senior officials and immigration judges this month to brief asylum tribunal chiefs about Mr Reid's crackdown on the so-called 'legacy' cases - the long-standing applications that had been lost in the system.
A senior figure present at the meeting revealed: "We were told that, of the 450,000 outstanding paper and computer files discovered in the sweep that took place last year, officials had now determined that 200,000 were either "untraceable'' or ''duplicate''. Most are likely to be in the untraceable category."
The immigration judges were also given an exact target date for clearing the backlog - July 19, 2011, at least a year after the next General Election.
The officials also stated that 18,000 immigrants are set to be deported because they have committed crimes in the UK.
It is the first time the Home Office has placed a figure on the number of foreign criminals since the scandal last year which led to the sacking of Mr Reid's predecessor Charles Clarke.
The revelations come days after the Labour announcement that the Home Office is to be broken up, with responsibility for prisons being handed to a new Justice Department.
Conservative immigration spokesman Damian Green said: "These are highly alarming figures.
It is concerning that there may be such a large number of foreign criminals possibly at large and that the Government is admitting defeat by writing off up to 200,000 lost asylum seekers.
"John Reid has clearly been taking more interest in his grand plans of restructuring Whitehall than in his basic responsibility to run an orderly immigration system."
Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migration Watch, said: "It sounds as though the Government has taken a first look at this vast pile of lost files and now has a first idea of what is involved. It is time they came clean to the public about the possibly serious implication for the asylum system."
The asylum tribunals will face an uphill struggle to clear the backlog on top of any new applications, which are running at around 20,000 annually.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We remain confident that we will be able to clear the entire current legacy of cases by July 2011."
Reader views (12)
the thing is british people needs to understand ,giving asylum seekers free houses is the most demaging thing to the economy and deporting them cost a lot even putting them in detention. the best thing is to give those people permision to work and pay their expences. Then cloose the boarders .
- Tracy, london, 17/03/2010 20:09
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Exellent start by the UK government. Next:--The UK Gov't should also consinder 'an amnesty' to those who entered the UK on their own passport with short term visa and have overstayed after expiry of visa, due to some unavoidable circumstances. To forgive their this crime is the 'definition of an amnesty'. Please be humane with the human being.
- S R Teji, Nakodar, 19/10/2009 03:57
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I think it will be the most wise thing to do, to giving amnesty these 450,000 illegal immigrants, so they could contribute legaly to the system.
A sugestion to removing them to me is a trade at lost to uk, let them work, comtribute and tighting the boarder and have a new plan to the new once coming, spending billions of taxpayers money on removing them is waste, let them work, pay their tax and gain excessively than spending without profit, that's bad market.
We should remember these are human bein we are talking about, not just stones or animals, pls people of britain be considerate.
Thanks.
- Eugen, manchester, 17/07/2009 04:50
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I think the government is taking a good step to a fresh start.
- Samia, London, 17/01/2008 22:55
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Thinking about all the taxpayers' money spent on asylum seekers, I think it's the right thing to do. On addition this helps to boost the economy with people granted the right to work so that they can pay tax and are also able to look after their own families. I support this action.
- Carter, West Midlands, 10/01/2008 22:02
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It would be advisable to regulate the status of those individuals who are contributing to the economy. Those who have been in the UK have intergrated into the society, and have skills and experiences to contribute. It would be inhumane to uproot individuals who have simply got lost in the system.
- Perdip Hothy, Midlands, 17/04/2007 14:53
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Amnesty should not be only for the failed asylum seekers but for all the over stayers, illegal immigrants who are working on low paid wages , cash in hand and paying no taxes and N I Contributions. They are availing the NHS and other facilities. By granting them stay, there would be less burden on the Immigration System and courts and they will pay their taxes and work for the betterment of the society. Further the increase in the application fee and use of this immigrants applicants money only to remove failed asylum seekers is discriminatory and not an appropriate solution. To remove half a million people ( failed asylum seekers and overstayers)from the UK by the Immigration Authorities is impossible and is a day dream.There are examples of amnesty granted by spain and other European Countries. Solution is to grant two years leave to remain to these people and indefinite leave to remain on completion of two years if they show that they have clean history and work record .
- Nasim Ahmed Immigration & Human Rights Solicitor, London UK, 13/04/2007 10:37
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Excellent, giving amnesty to failed asylum seekers is the only right thing because people have integrated in the communities now.
- Dr. M. Farooq, Leigh, Lancashire, 10/04/2007 15:08
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This is the only way to resolve the immigration shambles. This could create a
platform to implement new immigration laws. Looking at the events that have happened in past it is very unwise and scary to have more than 450,000 people living in this country without knowing who they are or what they are up to let alone not knowing where they are. Food for thought.
- Norm, UK, 02/04/2007 20:04
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Bravo to IND.
An amnesty to failed asylum seekers and proper implementation of the current immigration policies will definitely make the immigration department a department fit for purpose.
- Kai Yomba, Middlesex, UK, 01/04/2007 14:51
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I think the government is doing the right thing because this is the only option to get out of all the mess that has been created.
Fresh start is needed,so it is easier to identify who is living in this country and to tighten borders with new policies for the future.
- Tony, Essex, 01/04/2007 02:48
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I don't want an amnesty for everybody it will send the wrong message to the world , but we must deal with the families that have been here waiting for years for a decision from the home office to clear their status ..and then after years waitng ...with childrens integrated with childrens born here ...fully integratted .. mm I think is soo unfair asking them to go ...is not their fault anymore ...they are after all victims of the bad system we used to have .they were feed by hope during the years here .
no amnesty for criminals, and illegals, and no benefits . first feed the ones from home ..
and be gentle with the childrens please
- Michelle, london, 01/04/2007 00:30
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