The Home Office, or interior ministry, says 78,768 asylum applications are made by people who arrive in the country illegally.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says UNHCR must carry out its responsibilities towards these groups and not place the burden solely on the government.

Title 42 began under Republican former president Donald Trump in 2020 at the beginning of Covid-19 and allows US authorities to expel migrants to Mexico without the chance to seek asylum.

The interior ministry, or Home Office, said all asylum seekers would still be subject to mandatory security checks and those who fail to respond to the questionnaire could see their claims withdrawn.

They say the authorities plan to send back more despite the risk of arrest they face in their home country.

Saifuddin Abdullah says this is to design, facilitate and develop intervention in all relevant areas for the education of refugees.

The government has been under pressure to deal with the rising number of people making dangerous journeys despite plans to deport those arriving illegally to Rwanda.

The plight of the Rohingya is fast becoming a pressure cooker that no-one seems inclined to take off the stove.

The number of those due to be put on the flight dwindled from an original 130 to seven and finally none after a last-minute order by the European Court of Human Rights.

Syrian citizens accounted for over a quarter of successful asylum cases last year, followed by Afghans and Venezuelans.

Canada says the measure was necessary given health concerns during the Covid-19 pandemic.