• 115,575 people seeking asylum will be stranded in “permanent limbo” by the end of 2024
• This would cost taxpayers up to £6.2 billion a year for accommodation costs alone
• Refugee Council warns of “system meltdown” and calls for Illegal Migration Act to be repealed
• Warning comes just days after ‘Safety of Rwanda’ Bill passes in Parliament

A new report from the Refugee Council warns that the UK Government’s flagship Illegal Migration Act and Rwanda Plan will lead to another catastrophic “system meltdown”, trapping over 100,000 people in permanent limbo while costing taxpayers billions.

The report, Cost, chaos and human misery – the impact of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and the Rwanda Plan, reveals that by the end of 2024, even if 2,000 people are removed to Rwanda, 115,575 people seeking asylum will be left stranded in the UK, shut out of the asylum system but unable to be removed from the country. It states this will cost up to £17.1 million per day – a staggering £6.2 billion per year – for accommodation, likely in hotels.

Under the Illegal Migration Act, people are banned from applying for asylum as their cases are deemed ‘inadmissible’ and the Home Secretary is under a duty to arrange for their removal.

However, the report shows that in reality, only a small proportion are likely to ever be removed to their own country or Rwanda.

It finds that fewer than 10,000 people will be eligible for removal to their own country and states that at most, only 2,000 people will be removed to Rwanda by the end of 2024. Of these, up to 100 are expected to be people already in the asylum system who are not subject to any of provisions in the Illegal Migration Act.

The report sets out how tens of thousands of people will be shut out of the asylum system. Instead of having their claim considered on its merits and either granted or refused, they will be left unable to get on with their lives. They will face two choices – rely indefinitely on Home Office support, costing the taxpayer over £17 million pounds every day, or else disappear, leaving them at risk of destitution, exploitation and abuse.

Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said:

“This report lays bare the immense cost, chaos and human misery that the Illegal Migration Act and Rwanda Plan will unleash. It will lead to another  entirely avoidable system meltdown. Instead of operating an effective and fair asylum system, the Government has recklessly brought in this misguided legislation without any apparent thought to its staggering costs and long-term consequences.

“Tens of thousands of men, women and children from countries such as Afghanistan and Iran, where oppressive regimes chase down their opponents, and countries such as Sudan and Syria, where brutal conflicts have led to humanitarian crises, will be left in permanent limbo and are likely to fall out of contact with the authorities, facing exploitation and abuse.

“Rather than laying the foundations for the next asylum crisis, any Government that wants a fair and efficient asylum system should repeal the legislation, stop wasting resources on futile endeavours and focus on the vital task of processing asylum claims promptly and fairly.”

The report from the Refugee Council comes just days after the controversial Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill passed, paving the way for the first removals to Rwanda under the Government’s asylum plan. The charity is calling on ministers to change course by repealing the  legislation and the Illegal Migration Act, treating people seeking asylum with dignity, rapidly expanding safe routes including refugee visas, and establishing agreements with the EU and France to manage migration movements and allow families to reunite.

Visit our report page to download the full briefing: Cost, chaos and human misery – the impact of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and the Rwanda Plan