United Refugee Organization

[August 2007]  

Overview and implications of the Government’s new asylum model

This updated briefing presents an outline of the new asylum model and discusses its implementation to date, and outlines its strengths and our concerns.

Since 5th March 2007, the Home Office has put all new applications for asylum into the New Asylum Model (NAM). Each asylum seeker will have a named ‘case owner’ who will be responsible for dealing with all aspects of their case from initial interview to final integration or removal. They will also be subject to tighter timescales on the processing of their case and more rigorous reporting requirements. Whilst there are positive aspects to the new procedures the Refugee Council also has concerns in particular about the speed at which the new procedures operate.

This is an updated version of a briefing on the New Asylum Model published first in September 2005 and updated in March and August 2006 and June and August 2007.

Download a copy of the report(PDF)

August 2007

Questionnaires sent to 6,000 families

In July 2006 the Home Secretary announced that all asylum cases outside the New Asylum Model1 will be resolved by June 20112. These cases, formerly known as legacy cases and now called case

resolution, are being dealt with by the Case Resolution Directorate at the Border and Immigration

Agency (BIA). It is estimated that there could be as many as 450,000 such cases at all stages of the

asylum determination process, hence the need for a planned approach to their resolution. (more…)