Video: Keith Vaz: asylum cases backlog is 'spiralling out of control' The committee raised fears that the growing number of immigration cases - which includes almost 174,000 missing illegal immigrants - is equivalent of the population of Iceland. The number of unresolved immigration cases rose by 25,000 between April and June this year. The UK Border Agency had 302,064 cases to investigate, trace or conclude. Keith Vaz, the Labour chairman of the committee, said there are about the same number of cases awaiting resolution as there are people living in Iceland and the "backlog is spiralling out of control." The backlog stands at a third of a million. Mr Vaz said a firm grip needed to be taken with the UK Border Agency. Dealing with the UKBA is like falling through the looking glass because more backlogs are discovered, more problems are seen and there seems to be no attempt to try and reduce the figure.