16

Many asylum seekers remain in limbo with unprocessed claims pending relocation.

Conclusion
The Illegal Migration Bill was first introduced to Parliament in March 2023, and since this time the Home Office has not been processing claims for the majority of people arriving in small boats and through other irregular means. We remarked that at the time of our evidence session, individuals could not apply for asylum and the Home Secretary was not yet obliged to remove them, so they were effectively left in limbo. The Home Office said it was correct and that at the time they were pending relocation. During the evidence session the Home Office told us that the inadmissibility, once commenced, will apply to people who have arrived after 7 March 2023. This meant that some people had been waiting for more than one year to hear if they will be relocated to Rwanda or another third country, when available. In subsequent correspondence, the Home Office confirmed that the duty to remove people to Rwanda or another country would apply to individuals who arrived from 20 July 2023.27
Government Response

A response document is linked to this report, dated 11 July 2025. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document.

Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age 2.3 yrs
Report published 29 May 2024