Backlog of immigration cases is 'out of control' as MP reveals it is the size of Iceland’s population

The number of outstanding asylum and immigration cases rose by 25,000 in three months and is “spiralling out of control”, making the total caseload the equivalent of the population of Iceland, an MP has said.

More than 300,000 cases needed to be dealt with at the end of June, nine per cent more than at the end of March, the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee said. But clearing the backlog should not be a rushed job done without proper checks, the committee’s report on the UK Border Agency (UKBA) warned.

Keith Vaz, the committee’s chairman, said: “There are now about the same number of cases awaiting resolution by UKBA as there are people living in Iceland. The backlog is spiralling out of control.”

The agency had 302,064 cases to investigate, trace or conclude by the end of June – 25,000 more than at the end of March.