One year on from Refugee Action’s report ‘Slipping through the Cracks,’ which documented delays and poor decision-making in the Home Office’s asylum support processes, they have released updated figures on their clients’ experiences of accessing asylum support.

They examined 162 support applications that their caseworkers worked on between May 2017 and May 2018 (81 applications each for section 95 support and section 4 support). These updated figures show that destitute people in the asylum system continue to struggle to obtain the support, waiting on average more than three times longer than they should have for section 95 support, and over a month for section 4 support; with the waiting time for the latter shot up to 51 days for applications made in April 2018, following the Home Office’s introduction of the new ATLAS IT system. Furthermore, there is still no clarity on how the Home Office is monitoring its own performance in providing such support; and the department remains unaccountable for its decisions in this vital area.

The story has been covered by the Times and the Guardian and partners are invited to promote the findings using #StandUpForAsylum.