Backlog blights Border Agency
Tuesday, 9 February 2010 12:00 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) continues to struggle coping with its backlog of cases, parliamentary ombudsman Ann Abraham has said.
Her report, 'Fast and Fair?', picked out 11 case studies representing the 478 complaints her office received about the UKBA in the first nine months of 2009/10.
The cases covered both asylum applications and immigration and nationality work, including applications for residency cards.
Ms Ombudsman wrote in the report: "We have seen progress, but the Agency still have a long way to go on their journey to being able to demonstrate to us that they are meeting the ombudsman's principles of good administration, principles of good complaint handling and principles for remedy."
One Jamaican man who was granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK had to wait three-and-a-half years to get a 'no time limit' stamp on his passport.
During this time he was threatened with deportation and missed the funerals of his father and sister.
Today's report concluded his case was typical of many and said that, while progress had been made, the failure to resolve applications within reasonable timescales had serious implications for both the individuals concerned and the "public purse".
"Given the scale of the problem, there can be no short-term fix, and the resolution will need to be founded on clear and consistent priorities, supported by good forward planning and adequate resources," Ms Abraham added.
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