I made decisions on asylum claims. The pressures on staff led to many poor judgments and mistakes
“Do you want to see it?” Before I could say, “That isn’t needed,” the man lifted his shirt, showing me an ugly scar from what he claimed was an AK-47 bullet wound. As with many asylum claimants interviewed by decision-makers at the Home Office, it was evident that something had hurt him, but it wasn’t possible to determine what had done the damage. The man sat, shaking, and told me that he was terrified to ever go back and risk facing the men who he alleged had attacked him and killed his family members. It would be necessary to assess the rest of his story to make a decision.
Evaluating the applications of asylum seekers means sifting each day through human suffering. The Home Office does this to determine whether claimants can stay in the UK or will be forced to return to their country of origin and potentially be thrown into unimaginable hardship. During my recent time as a decision-maker, my colleagues and I were subjected to unreasonable management pressures that made it increasingly difficult for staff to consistently uphold their duty of care to claimants or make correct decisions in asylum cases. This led to an exhausted and demoralised workforce – one likely to make mistakes.
The author worked as a decision-maker for the Home Office