This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59414460
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Asylum claims to UK reach highest level in nearly 20 years | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Asylum applications to the UK have reached their highest level since 2004, according to official estimates. | |
There were 37,562 asylum applications in the year to September - an 18% increase on the previous year. | |
The applicants were mainly refugees from Iran, Eritrea, Albania, Iraq and Syria. | |
The figures come after 27 people drowned crossing the channel, sparking renewed calls for changes to the way those seeking refuge are treated. | |
The Office for National Statistics figures also reveal a big backlog of asylum claims waiting to be heard, with 67,547 cases yet to have an initial decision. | |
Who is allowed to work in the UK after Brexit? | |
Are there many more EU citizens in UK than we thought? | |
What tests and jabs do I need to travel abroad? | |
Dr Peter William Walsh, of Oxford University's Migration Observatory, said: "The situation in the channel yesterday (Wednesday) is an unspeakable tragedy. | |
"The increase in claims for asylum is driven by arrivals from Eritrea, Iran and Syria, all of which have very high acceptance rates for asylum in the UK. | |
"The backlog in the number of asylum seekers is increasing both as a result of this increase and the slow processing of asylum claims." | |
Asylum applications in the UK were "substantially lower" than in France, which received 31,000 applicants in the third quarter of 2021, according to the Migration Observatory. | |
This rise in asylum claims comes as official figures suggest net migration - which does not include asylum claims or refugees - fell by 88% last year due to Covid restrictions. | |
Brexit was also a factor, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), but it stressed there was "no evidence of an exodus" from the UK. | Brexit was also a factor, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), but it stressed there was "no evidence of an exodus" from the UK. |
The estimates show net migration - the difference between people entering and leaving the UK - in 2020 was 34,000, compared with 271,000 the previous year. | |
In March 2020, the public were told to stop all non-essential travel in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and air travel to and from the UK dropped by 95% in the early months of the pandemic. | In March 2020, the public were told to stop all non-essential travel in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and air travel to and from the UK dropped by 95% in the early months of the pandemic. |
Net migration in 2020 from the EU was negative, with 94,000 more EU nationals thought to have left the UK than to have arrived, the ONS statistics suggest. | |
But 5.5 million EU nationals were granted permission to remain in the UK through the post-Brexit settlement scheme, according to Home Office figures. with more than 300,000 cases still being processed. | |
So far, 180,000 EU nationals have been refused permission to remain in the UK. | |
The ONS warned that its net migration figures were based on "experimental research" and "subject to a high level of uncertainty". | |
The organisation was forced to suspend the International Passenger Survey, the traditional method of measuring migration through surveys at ports and airports. due to the pandemic. | The organisation was forced to suspend the International Passenger Survey, the traditional method of measuring migration through surveys at ports and airports. due to the pandemic. |