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Since 1997, the time taken
Since 1997, the time taken to process an initial asylum application has
been reduced from 20 months to two months in over 80 per cent of
cases.The number of asylum applications has been cut by two-thirds
since 2002.The backlog of claims has been cut from over 50,000 at
the end of 1996 to just over 10,000.There are 550 UK Immigration
Officers posted in France and Belgium to check passports of people
boarding boats and trains, and Airline Liaison Officers and overseas
entry clearance staff are helping to stop 1,000 people a day improperly
entering the UK.