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11 Jul 2025

Huge asylum appeals backlog still major issue for government

Communities Editor

The Government has pledged to tackle what’s called ‘irregular migration’, people who arrive in the UK illegally or without permission.

They’ve just agreed a ‘migrant return’ deal with France – aimed at curbing the number of people crossing the Channel on small boats.

But deportations are far from straightforward: with a huge backlog of people who’ve been refused asylum and who are waiting for their appeals to be heard.