UKBA massive backlog

[Sarah29]

UKBA chief executive Rob Whiteman said a backlog of cases received but not entered into the agency's system should be cleared by March
An "astonishing" backlog of some 50,000 immigration applications are yet to be entered into the UK Border Agency (UKBA) database, its chief executive has told MPs.

Rob Whiteman told the Home Affairs Select Committee the backlog of cases received but not entered into the agency's system should be cleared by March.

Last month, Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration John Vine revealed that thousands of immigrants were allowed to stay in the UK without undergoing proper checks due to a huge backlog.

UKBA staff dealt with cases so inefficiently that at one point 100,000 pieces of post were unopened, Mr Vine found. He had been asked to assess how well UKBA had handled the backlog of thousands of unsolved cases.

Keith Vaz asked Mr Whiteman if he could confirm the size of cases for entry to the UK that have been received but not put on the agency's database. After hearing the figure was 50,000, Mr Vaz said: "You have given me a straight and astonishing number."

Mr Whiteman said the backlog would be cleared by March. He said: "You must remember we receive one million applications a year. We work on the basis that we want all cases put on the system in a week."

Immigration minister Mark Harper later told the Committee he did not want to play down the figure but said 50,000 cases was the equivalent of two weeks' worth of applications received.

And Mr Whiteman earlier told the Committee around 40,000 live asylum and migration cases were found following checks on a batch of so-called dead files. He said the live files - 33,000 asylum cases, 7,000 immigration cases - were found in an archive of closed cases. But Mr Whiteman added: "You really should feel assured that the records are being closed."

Mr Whiteman was asked what the UKBA was doing about delays to international student visa processes, which has seen hundreds without a passport just days before Christmas. Mr Vaz said: "We have been contacted because there are hundreds of students trapped in the UK because their passports have not got their leave completed. It's a major problem for people coming here. What are you going to do about getting passports back so they can spend Christmas with their families?"

Mr Whiteman said UKBA was providing a 72-hour service, and a 24-hour service for urgent cases. He said: "All applications received are being processed within one day. All applications received by December 20 will be returned within 24 hours."
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