The Whitehall department is examining the potential of various types of technology, with the possibility of deploying linguistic platforms powered by AI, as well as other products to increase efficiency

The Home Office is exploring new technologies that could help government eat into the backlog of asylum applications.

While the backlog has fallen significantly in the past two years – from a high of 134,046 in June 2023 – there are still 70,532 cases awaiting an initial decision, plus tens of thousands more cases awaiting the outcome of an appeal, or deportation in light of an unsuccessful claim.

The Home Office has previously indicated an intention to explore the use of new technology – particularly artificial intelligence – to support immigration and border operations, including automated age-estimating facial scans and translation tools.

Border security and asylum minister Alex Norris reiterated that the department “is currently exploring the technology landscape for translation and transcription solutions with the view to better understand the capabilities and their current maturity, along with the risks and benefits” of the technology.

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“The intent is to understand the feasibility and adequacy of utilising this type of technology to support processes within the Migration and Borders system,” he said. “This exploration is also supportive of engaging with experts and academia to ensure a well-informed and evidence-based approach.”

Norris, whose comments were made in response to a written parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat MP Lee Dillon, added that, beyond these linguistic tools, the UK’s border and immigration system are also keen to deploy other types of technology to support operations.

“The Home Office is investing in innovative techniques, including AI, to explore how we can improve productivity, speed up processing the asylum backlog, streamline the provision of accommodation and support, and restore order in the asylum system,” he said. “This will not be at the cost of compromising on accuracy due to the complexity and importance of asylum decisions.”