New briefing sets out key facts and figures relating to the number of asylum seekers applying to stay in the UK
The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford yesterday published a new briefing on the number of asylum applications in the UK.
You can read it here.
It charts how asylum applications rose from 4,256 in 1987 to a peak of 84,130 in 2002 and then declined to 17,916 in 2010. Since 2010, applications have risen each year (up to 23,507 in 2013).
The Migration Observatory notes that the UK's share of Europe's asylum claims has declined as well, from approximately 20 per cent at its peak (1999-2002) down to 6.4 per cent in 2013.
The briefing adds that the UK's number of asylum claims for 2013 is below the European per capita average: for 2013, the UK received 0.47 asylum applications per 1000 inhabitants, compared to 0.91 across Europe.
The briefing also looks at decisions in asylum cases, with a chart showing the numbers either refused or granted asylum at the initial decision stage for all years from 1987 to 2013.
According to the Migration Observatory, the majority of initial decisions have been refusals in each year since 1994. In 2013, 64 per cent of initial decisions were refused.
From 2004 to 2013, 78 per cent of rejected applicants lodged appeals, with a success rate ranging from 19 per cent to a peak of 28 per cent in 2009. In 2013, the appeal success rate stood at 24 per cent.
Finally, the briefing notes that there are gaps and limitations in UK data on asylum applicants, notably on departures from the UK. Thus, the Migration Observatory says, estimates of asylum's role in net migration are uncertain, as total outflows can only be guessed.