Government offering amnesty

Hundreds of thousands of failed asylum seekers may be allowed to settle permanently in Britain under a "back-door amnesty" scheme.

The Government is striving to clear a backlog of 450,000 "legacy" cases of immigrants who were turned down for refugee status but were never expelled.

A 1,000-strong Home Office team has been set up to work through the list, giving priority to individuals and families who may now qualify for UK residency rights because such a long time has passed since their initial rejection.

Without publicity, the first 6,000 families on the list were sent questionnaires last month asking about their current circumstances. Insiders close to the scheme said those who gave the "right" answers would be granted "leave to remain".

Asylum seekers who cannot be traced are expected to be simply struck off the "legacy" list, giving the impression that officials have made progress in tackling the backlog. They would no longer be sought actively for removal, even though they would remain illegal immigrants - liable for deportation if ever caught.

Our government have to learn that the British people do not want an amnesty. All illegal and failed asylum seekers must be sent back. It is irrelevant how long this takes but it has to be done. They shouldn’t be able to just break the law and get away with it. They should be forcibly deported if they are unwilling to go.