The UK government has no information on the whereabouts of over 17,000 undocumented migrants who arrived in the country but had their asylum claims withdrawn by authorities, UK Home Office Second Permanent Secretary Simon Ridley said on Wednesday.
"If individuals do not show for an interview twice or if individuals do not respond to requests for questionnaires twice, then their claim is withdrawn... I don't think we know where all those people are," Ridley told the Home Affairs Committee of the UK parliament.
Over the past year, the UK authorities have withdrawn 17,316 asylum requests submitted by undocumented migrants as the asylum seekers "are not engaging with the system," which means they do not contact the authorities after being invited for an interview and sent a questionnaire to fill out, the official said.
He also admitted that some of those people could have absconded and be hiding from the authorities.
Undocumented migration has been a pressing issue for the UK for years, and intensified after the country left the European Union in 2020. In April 2022, the UK and Rwanda signed a migration agreement, stipulating that people recognized by the UK government as undocumented migrants or asylum seekers will be deported to Rwanda for the processing of their documents, obtaining asylum, and relocation.