Home Office to fast-track thousands of Iraqi and Iranian asylum claims

Exclusive: Scheme is part of push to tackle backlog of more than 90,000 claims submitted before June 2022

Up to 20,000 Iraqi and Iranian asylum seekers are to have their claims fast-tracked by the Home Office in a renewed push to clear a backlog, a leaked letter shows.

In a significant move to meet Rishi Sunak's pledge to deal with more than 90,000 claims submitted before last June, claimants from the two countries will be asked to fill in detailed questionnaires in English before facing shortened interviews with officials.