Story perspectives

Defence Review Overturns 884 Afghan Rejections, Cuts Backlog

7/30/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Defence Committee ordered a review that overturned 884 rejected Afghan relocation applications.
The review was triggered after a Ministry of Defence staff member shared an Excel spreadsheet in February 2022, exposing personal details of more than 18,500 Afghan applicants, a breach discovered in August 2023.
A super-injunction imposed in July 2025 barred reporting of the breach for almost two years, far beyond its intended four-month term.
The March 2026 review found about 30 % of the overturned cases eligible for relocation, including 300 applicants who qualified because their data had been exposed.
As of 1 June 2026 the Ministry of Defence’s Afghan resettlement backlog fell to around 14,000 cases, down from 25,000 in July 2025.

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Story summary

The Defence Committee ordered a review that overturned 884 rejected Afghan relocation applications.
The review was triggered after a Ministry of Defence staff member shared an Excel spreadsheet in February 2022, exposing personal details of more than 18,500 Afghan applicants, a breach discovered in August 2023.
A super-injunction imposed in July 2025 barred reporting of the breach for almost two years, far beyond its intended four-month term.
The March 2026 review found about 30 % of the overturned cases eligible for relocation, including 300 applicants who qualified because their data had been exposed.
As of 1 June 2026 the Ministry of Defence’s Afghan resettlement backlog fell to around 14,000 cases, down from 25,000 in July 2025.