More than 400, 000 applications for asylum in the UK after Brexit

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More than 400, 000 applications for asylum in the UK after Brexit

The Home Office has a backlog of 400,000 applications from EU citizens and their family members for asylum in the UK after Brexit, according to the latest government data.

The latest monthly statistics for the EU settlement scheme also show the total number of applications after the single deadline of July 28 at more than 6.2 m, including as many as 172,000 applications made after the 30 June deadline for settled status.

The Home Office warns that about 472,000 of the total were repeat applications and the number made since 30 June includes family members of those with status already.

It also covers applications from people moving from settled status granted to those in Britain for fewer than five years to pre-settled status which is granted to those in the country for more than five years.

A number of applications may have been granted to EU citizens who have moved from the country who want an insurance policy for a potential return after a family or career move abroad.

Even with the caveats, the data puts the number of EU citizens who potentially want to stay in the UK at 2 million more than original estimates in 2016.

The Home Office says that the net figures show 5.55 million had applied for the scheme up to the 30 June deadline.

Of the 5.8 m applications accepted and examined, just over 3 have settled status and 2.4 '' have pre-settled status.

Some 165,000 applications were withdrawn and just under 100,000 rejected, and 89,000 considered invalid or not eligible for settled status in the first place.

The figures also show that 114,000 applications were concluded last month reducing further the backlog, which was closer to 600,000 in June than expected.

No figures have been issued for the number of EU citizens married to British citizens living in the EU before Brexit who are in the settlement process.

Home Office has multiple complaints that it is taking six months or more to get a family permit, which is a prerequisite for an application for European settled status for spouses or enduring partners of British citizens, before the deadline of 29 March.

These applications are handled by separate teams after an established precedent in 1992 and known as Surinder Singh cases. The Home Office says the length of time it takes to process applications is caused by a combination of high volumes of applications and the complexity of evidence gathering needed to establish that the British citizen was exercising their freedom of movement rights and had established a life in EU in the first place.