Asylum Applications Reduced By 9%

Asylum applications fell by 9% last year to their lowest level since 1993, Home Office figures show. At the same time the number of failed asylum seekers removed from the UK increased by 16%.

But the government failed to meet its target to remove failed asylum seekers in the final quarter of last year. Home Office minister Liam Byrne said the figures showed an “important step” had been taken “on the road to Home Office reform”.

Last year, just under 28,000 people applied for asylum in the UK, including dependants. The number of asylum claimants has fallen steadily since more than 100,000 applied in 2002.

The three countries with the most claimants in 2006 were Eritrea, Afghanistan and Iran.

Across 2006 the government hit its target to deport more failed applicants than the number of “unfounded” cases arriving in the same period. A total of 18,235 claimants were deported compared with 17,780 “unfounded” cases.

The “tipping point” target was introduced in 2005 by Prime Minister Tony Blair. When John Reid became home secretary in May the tipping point was made one of his top priorities.

In the final quarter of last year ministers were 10% behind their target to deport more failed asylum seekers than “unfounded” cases arriving. From October to December, there were 4,085 deportations compared with 4,560 arrivals – a shortfall of 475.

Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said of the annual figure: “This is a substantial achievement and shows how far we have come since asylum applications were at their peak in 2002. There are now fewer people than ever coming to the UK and making unfounded claims for asylum, and we are removing more failed asylum seekers than ever before.

“The rise in removals is all the more impressive when considered against the temporary drop in available detention capacity caused by the disturbance at Harmondsworth removal centre in November, and our need to remove 2,240 foreign national prisoners since April 2006.”