Chilling New Figures Reveal How Many Criminal Asylum Seekers Whose Claims Were Rejected Are Still Living In The UK And Avoiding Deportation Despite Being Told To Leave

More than 900 foreign criminals are living in accommodation paid for by British taxpayers even though their asylum claims have been rejected, according to Home Office figures.

The figures show that around 1,500 foreign offenders are currently receiving free accommodation and financial support because they cannot be deported from the UK. Of these, 929 have already had their asylum applications and appeals rejected.

These people are receiving what is known as Section 4 support. This can include a place to live and weekly financial help. The usual payment is around £49.18 per person each week.

The figures have caused anger among critics of the UK’s immigration system, who say taxpayers should not have to support foreign nationals who have been convicted of crimes and have already lost their asylum cases.

Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, strongly criticised the situation. He argued that the European Convention on Human Rights has made it harder for the UK to remove some foreign criminals.

He said the situation was difficult to understand, especially when taxpayers are paying for accommodation for people who have been convicted of crimes.

The issue comes as the Government is already dealing with a large number of foreign criminals who are waiting to be removed from the UK.

Home Office figures show that almost 20,000 foreign national offenders are currently living in the UK despite being eligible for deportation. The number has risen from 3,943 in 2012 to 19,779 this year.

It has also almost doubled since the end of 2020, when the figure stood at 10,373.

The figures were obtained through Freedom of Information requests made by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford. They show that 929 foreign national offenders are receiving Section 4 support.

One of the main problems is that some countries do not agree to take their citizens back. In other cases, human rights rules can prevent the UK from sending someone to a country where they could face serious danger.

Countries mentioned include Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Iran and Syria.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the Government over the figures. He said foreign criminals whose asylum claims had failed should be deported when there is no legal reason stopping their removal.

He also renewed calls for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, arguing that it is making deportations more difficult.

Reform UK also attacked the Government over the issue, saying British taxpayers should not be paying to house foreign criminals whose asylum claims have already been rejected.

However, the Home Office said the decision to release a foreign criminal into the community is never taken lightly.

The department said suitable accommodation is arranged before a person is released so that officials can continue to manage their case.

Asylum accommodation provider Serco has also warned MPs about the problem. The company said some countries do not have agreements in place to accept their citizens back.

This means that some foreign nationals can remain in asylum accommodation for a long time because the Government is unable to remove them.

The issue has added to the growing debate over Britain’s asylum and deportation system, with critics calling for tougher action while the Government says it must follow the law when dealing with people who cannot legally be removed.