U.K: Asylum Statistics: 3rd Quarter July/August/September 2007

Asylum applications up (despite a Home Office press release saying their down)

• Posted on Nov 20, 2007

Asylum applications up (despite a Home Office press release saying their down)

Removal of Asylum Seekers down / Voluntary returns down

Detention of immigration offenders reaches 95% of capacity

Removal of Asylum Seekers

* Principal applicants removed 5 in Q3: 2,890; 3,120 including dependants

* In Q3, there were 2,890 principal applicants removed from the UK, 3% lower than in Q2 (2,980), and 17% less than in Q3 2006 (3,485).

* Including dependants, 3,120 asylum seekers were removed in Q3, 5% lower than in Q2 (3,280), and 18% less than in Q3 2006 (3,825).

* The five nationalities accounting for the highest number of removals in Q3 (principal applicants) were Turkish, Afghan, Serbian, Pakistani and Indian.

* 695 asylum seekers were removed under Assisted Voluntary Return schemes (600 principal applicants and 95 dependants), 22% of the 3,120 total.

Top 10 asylum removal nationalities (principal applicants) Q3 2007
Turkey                  270
Afghanistan             225
Serbia (Inc. Kosovo)  180
Pakistan               170
India                   145
Nigeria                 130
Iraq                    125
Sri Lanka             125
China                  125
Iran                    120
Other nationalities  1,275   Total   2,890

Detention - including dependants Quarter 3

2,325 persons were recorded as being detained 95% of capacity in IRC's @ 29 September 2007 of whom 1,625 were asylum seekers

* Asylum detainees as at 29 September 2007: 1,625 detainees who had claimed asylum at some stage

* As at 29 September 2007, 1,625 persons who had sought asylum at some stage were being detained in the UK solely under Immigration Act powers. This accounted for 70% of all detainees. This excludes persons detained in police cells and prison establishments.

* 1,580 were held at Immigration Service Removal Centres, and 50 at Immigration Short Term Holding Facilities.

* The nationalities accounting for the highest number of asylum detainees were Nigerian (150), Chinese (125) and Sri Lankan (100). 84% of asylum detainees as at 29 September 2007 were male.

* As at 29 September 2007, 55 people detained solely under Immigration Act powers were recorded as being less than 18 years old. 30 of these had been in detention for less than 29 days, 20 for between 29 days and two months and the remainder for between two and four months (see Background Note 8).

* Asylum detainees recorded as being removed from the UK upon leaving detention in Q2 2007: 1,375 detainees who had claimed asylum at some stage.

* A total of 3,295 people were recorded as being removed from the UK upon leaving detention in Q2 2007. 1,375 (42% of the total) were asylum detainees.

* 155 children were recorded as being removed from the UK upon leaving detention in Q2 2007.

* Of the 3,295 people recorded as being removed from the UK upon leaving detention in Q2 2007, 2,225 (68% of the total) left from Immigration Service Removal Centres and 1,070 (32% of the total) left from Immigration Short Term Holding Facilities.

Top 10 detained nationalities Q3
Nigeria         240
Jamaica        215
China           145
Pakistan       125
Sri Lanka      105
Iraq            105
Algeria         95
Eritrea         70
Iran            60
Ghana         50

Detained by Continent
Africa          965
Asia            680
Americas      265
Middle East   235
Europe         175

Applications for Asylum in Q3: 5,890, 19% higher than previous quarter

* The number of applications for asylum in the UK, excluding dependants, was 19% higher in Q3 (5,890) compared with Q2 (4,950), and less than 1% higher than Q3 2006 (5,860). The increase in Q3 may be in part due to seasonal effects (2007 is the 13th successive year that applications have risen in Q3)

* Including dependants, the number of applications to the UK increased by 20% in Q3 (7,090) from Q2 (5,920).

Asylum Applications

Top 10 applicant nationalities Q3 2007
China                  645
Eritrea                 555
Iraq                     530
Iran                     495
Afghanistan          475
Zimbabwe             445
Somalia                435
Pakistan               260
Sri Lanka              245
Nigeria                 210
Other Nationalities 1,605   Total   5,890

U.K: Asylum Statistics: 3rd Quarter July/August/September 2007
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/asylumq307.pdf

NCADC News Service
Source for this Message:
IND

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