Whistleblower says asylum system riddled with fraud, 'almost no aspect' works properly

• Whistleblower says only around 1% of asylum claims are genuine
• Hundreds of fraudulent "package claims" from Iraqi Kurdish, Pakistani and Bangladeshi applicants
• Asylum grant rate has fallen from 77% in 2022 to 38% this year
• Home Office says it has "robust processes to test credibility and identify fraudulent claims"

ONLY one in 100 asylum claims are genuine, according to a whistleblower who has revealed widespread fraud and dysfunction in the system.

The Home Office official, referred to as "J", who has worked for years as a decision-maker on asylum, told The Times that asylum seekers from certain countries use the "same script" in what he and colleagues describe as "package claims".

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He said: "At best 1 per cent of asylum seekers are genuine. There's almost no aspect of the asylum system that isn't either a massive fraud or just really dysfunctional. Nothing works as it should."

J cited hundreds of Iraqi Kurds claiming relationships with the Kurdistan region prime minister's daughter, hundreds of Pakistani claims involving the same alleged boyfriend supporting gay asylum claims, and Bangladeshi claimants alleging Awami League persecution who could not provide substantive party details, reported The Times.

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He said the screening and substantive interview system gave applicants "time to prepare" fake evidence, and that officials were told to call asylum seekers "customers".

The latest figures show 42,394 people were granted refugee protection in the year to June out of 115,394 initial decisions — a 38 per cent grant rate, down from 77 per cent in 2022.

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A Home Office spokesperson said: "We do not comment on anonymous briefings. We have robust processes to test credibility and identify fraudulent claims."