Although there is now a record number of refugee asylum claims to be processed, the number of accepted cases in 2018 was down 4.5% from the previous year.
The number of current claims stands at 73,168, a significant jump from the 43,250 claims in the system at the end of 2017. However, some research suggests that the drop in acceptance rates may not be a cause for alarm.
Speaking to The Star, researcher Sean Rehaag offered a logical explanation for the dip in acceptance rates: “Whenever there is an increasing number of claims in the pool and time frame for claims to be decided, the number of abandoned and withdrawn cases always goes up.”
Refugees now face waiting times of 21 months on average to have their cases heard, which may cause them to look elsewhere. However, the average number of accepted cases increased from 2012 to 2017, after the government passed legislation expediting the processing of some refugee claims. Additionally, the number of finalized claims was greater in 2018 than in 2017, despite the drop in the number of cases accepted initially.