The number of applications waiting for the Department to make a decision almost trebled, from 21,700 at 31 March 2022 to 62,100 at 31 March 2025.18 The Department told us that it currently had around 66,000 applications awaiting a decision.19 It explained that the backlog had emerged because the number of applications had doubled—from 76,000 in 2018–19 to 157,000 in 2024–25—and because cases had become more complex.20