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

Asylum applications up (despite a Home Office press release saying they are 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 Q3

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

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IND