Single-lever policy simulation · immigration

Asylum caseworker capacity

2,1004,00010-year projection

This report models the effect of raising asylum caseworker capacity from 2,100 to 4,000 — with every other government policy left unchanged — on the public finances, public opinion, the economy, the NHS and social care, projected over 10 years.

Bottom line

Improves Fiscal pressure, Public satisfaction and Political risk, with little downside in the model.

A single lever moved in isolation — which no real government does. Figures are modelled projections, not predictions. How the model works →

Direct effects

Fiscal pressure

very strong improvement

Why: Faster decisions clear the asylum support backlog — every month in hotel accommodation costs hundreds of millions. Highest-leverage lever on asylum spending

Effect emerges within months

Public satisfaction

strong improvement

Why: Backlogs are the single most visible failure of the immigration system — faster processing directly improves perceived control

Effect develops over 1–2 years

Knock-on effects

Reached indirectly, as the direct effects propagate through the system. Ordering reflects how the effect spreads, not a literal sequence in time.

Political riskmoderate
GDP strengthmild
NHS staffingmild
Social care staffingmild
House pricesmild
Rent pressureslight
Hospital waitsslight
Model output — exact figures
Fiscal pressure6127 (-34)
Public satisfaction3853 (+15)
Political risk6050 (-10)
GDP strength4550 (+5)
NHS staffing7368 (-5)
Social care staffing7065 (-5)
House prices6562 (-3)
Rent pressure7270 (-2)
Hospital waits6867 (-1)

Index points on a 0–100 scale. Lower is better for pressure metrics; higher is better for outcomes like GDP and satisfaction.

Asylum caseworker capacity: 2,100 → 4,000 · Britain 2036