By Costica Dumbrava

 Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly used in the areas of migration and asylum. These technologies promise to increase efficiency, reduce uncertainty and improve decision-making. In the asylum context, AI applications are meant to reduce pressure on national asylum systems and contribute to fairer and more consistent asylum decisions. Despite potential benefits, these technologies come with significant risks. Inaccurate or biased AI applications may jeopardise the right to asylum, increase or reinforce discrimination, and diminish procedural safeguards built into the asylum process. These risks depend on the type and complexity of applications used, their role in asylum procedures, and the way in which decision-makers interact with technologies. Although the deployment of AI applications in EU asylum systems is still in the early stages, the debate about the legal, social and ethical challenges posed by these new technologies is well under way. For instance, several Member States have started using AI technologies for dialect recognition to verify information, or obtain further information, on asylum applicants' country or region of origin. There are also examples of Member States using AI applications for name transliteration, automatic transcription of speeches and case matching. The introduction of AI technologies in EU asylum systems raises several major risks, relating to: (i) inaccuracies, bias and discrimination; (ii) undermining fairness and due process; and (iii) unlawful interference with privacy and data protection.

Brussels: EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service , 2025. 12p.

By The Refugee Council

When the new Government came into power following the general election, they inherited an asylum system in meltdown. The Illegal Migration Act 2023 and the Rwanda Plan had brought the system to a near-standstill, as the number of people waiting for an initial decision once more started to rise. This paper sets out the state of the asylum system that new ministers faced, and the early steps taken to address the resulting cost, chaos, and human misery. It presents key recommendations for the next steps the new Government should take to ensure the asylum system is fair and effective and to make it safer for people to seek protection in the UK.

Our key findings include:

• Due to the previous Government’s Illegal Migration Act 2023, in the months leading up to the general election, the productivity of the asylum system was at its lowest since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic

• As a result, the work undertaken by the previous Government to reduce the backlog had stalled with the numbers waiting for a decision increasing

• Without intervention, they are projected to have reached record levels in January 2025 with a projected 177,063 people waiting for an initial decision.

• Removing the blockages created by the Illegal Migration Act 2023, there would be an estimated 59,000 fewer people waiting for a decision by the end of January 2025 compared to if no action had been taken, saving between £151 million and £240.7 million as a result.

Our key recommendations for the government span all key areas of asylum policy and include:

• An immediate repeal of the Illegal Migrant Act and the Safety of Rwanda Act

• Introducing a clear and transparent plan for how the backlog of asylum claims will be processed and prioritised

• Moving away from the current system of private accommodation contracts and instead empowering local councils to provide value-for-money housing

• Extending the move-on period from 28 days to 56 days after someone receives a positive decision on their asylum claim

• Putting in place a team within the Home Office to review all asylum refusals that have been appealed to ensure the correct decision was made the first time

• Limiting the conduct of age determinations to staff with relevant training

• Expanding safe routes, including by making a clear commitment to refugee resettlement

• Implementing a more effective voluntary returns program.

London:   Refugee Council, 2024. 24p.