BRITAIN will scrap the requirement for around 12,000 asylum seekers to undergo face-to-face interviews and instead ask them to fill out a questionnaire, the government said on Thursday (23), in an attempt to clear record levels of backlogs.
The Home Office said all asylum seekers would still be subject to mandatory security checks and those who fail to respond to the questionnaire could see their claims withdrawn.
"We are working to speed up asylum processing so that people do not wait months or years in the backlog, at vast expense to the taxpayer, and to remove everyone who doesn’t have a legitimate reason to be here," a Home Office spokesperson said.
The 12,000 asylum seekers belong to countries from which a high proportion of individuals are typically granted asylum — Syria, Eritrea, Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan - the Home Office said.
Official data showed a record 160,919 asylum seekers were awaiting an initial decision on their claim at the end of 2022 — over three times the figure three years ago.
"To ensure our processes remain robust and all claims are properly considered, we have recruited hundreds of case workers to crack through cases," the Home Office spokesperson added.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak has made curbing illegal migration a priority, promising new legislation to prevent migrants who cross the English Channel from remaining in the country and vowing to clear the backlog of asylum cases by the end of this year.
The questionnaire contains 50 questions that must be answered in English, and claimants would have 20 working days to complete it, according to a report in The Guardian newspaper.
Refugee campaign groups criticised the changes as unfair, arguing it made complicated demands of people who know little to no English and have just fled war or persecution.
The British Red Cross said speeding up the asylum process for people from nations with the highest grant rates was a "common sense decision" that was long overdue but that the reported 20-day time limit could have "devastating impacts" and create more work for the Home Office.
(Reuters)
Britain scraps interviews for 12,000 asylum seekers to speed up process
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.