Home Office unsure of whereabouts of 40,000 immigrants

It has emerged that the Home Office has lost track of thousands of cases of immigration seekers following the revelation in a letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee by the head of the UK Border Agency Lin Homer.

The cases revolved around up to 40,000 migrants who have become illegal citizens following the rejection of their applications for visa extensions dating back to 2003. Authorities are unable to confirm if those in question are even still in the country or did depart as required by law.

Homer made the disclosure in a personal letter describing the backlog some three years after the then Home Secretary John Reid called the office’s immigration department unfit to serve its purpose. As far back as 2006 Reid denounced authorities for their failure to enact suitable controls over the management of deportees and the growing backlog of unresolved cases.

According to the UK Border Agency, it is currently in the process of working through over 400,000 past asylum cases which still remain technically open, although the new findings have forced it to begin work on the 40,000 immigration files. The agency confirmed that it has recently turned more of its attention to the old immigration cases as they have no formal record of whether those in question have actually left the UK.

Ms Homer is hopeful of tracking down and removing those still in the UK and confirmed that most were refused visa extensions. The list will be compared to police databases to determine if any pose a threat to public safety.