Sunday, May 02, 2010

Get up to speed with asylum statistics for 2009

The UKBA has released asylum statistics for 2009. The report reveals a general decline in the number of asylum applications in the UK but an increase in the number of applications that were refused.

According to the report, the UK ranks 13th amongst the EU27 (European Union’s 27 countries) in proportion to the rest of the UK’s population. The UK is home to less than 2% of the world’s refugees.

Asylum applications

The number of asylum applications in the UK has decreased despite a slight increase overall in the applications across the EU.

  • The number of asylum seekers coming to Europe remained roughly the same in 2009 (242, 400) compared to 2008 (241, 300).
  • The number of asylum applications to the UK including dependants (someone who depends on the applicant financially, such as a husband, wife, partner, or child) decreased by 5% in 2009 (29, 845) compared to 2008 (31,315).

Asylum decisions

Almost three-quarters of asylum claims were refused in 2009

  • 73% of applicants were refused asylum in 2009 by the UKBA, an increase from the previous year.
  • Only 17% of applicants were granted asylum in the UK.
  • 10% of applicants were granted Humanitarian Protection (someone who does not qualify for asylum but is believed to have humanitarian reasons for allowing that person to stay) or Discretionary Leave (someone who does not qualify for asylum but is believed should be allowed to stay for other reasons e.g. often children who are under 18).

Appeals

Over a quarter of appeals were successful in 2009 as people seeking asylum were recognised as refugees.

The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) hears and decides appeals against decisions made by the UK Border Agency. The Immigration Judge decides whether to overturn the decision made by the UKBA (allowed) and an applicant is granted stay in the UK or uphold the UKBA’s initial decision (dismissed).

  • 28% of refused asylum applications were overturned by the AIT
  • Two-thirds of appeals were dismissed by the AIT.
  • Although the number of applications decreased in 2009, the increase in refused asylum applications resulted in an increase of 44% in appeals made to the AIT compared to 2008

Click here for the full the report

Posted by Communications on 02/05/2010 at 03:30 PM