Asylum statistics for July/August/September 2002, were released Friday 29th November 2002, by the Home Office.

Applications continue to rise, despite the ever increasing harshness of UK immigration laws. No matter how high the government raise the barriers, asylum seekers to their credit still manage to arrive.

The UK was 9th in the table of asylum applications per 1000, of population in EU countries, (UK 1.5 asylum applications per 1000).

East Europeans, continue to be the most likely to be detained/deported, (East Europeans accounted for 41% of those in detention, approximate 46% of deportations).

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Asylum Statistics: 3rd Quarter 2002 United Kingdom, (extracts)

Applications: 22,560 :- 11% higher than previous quarter

• Applications for asylum in the UK in Q3 were 11% higher than the previous quarter (20,400) and the highest quarterly level on record.

• Including dependants, the number of applicants was estimated to be 29,100 in Q3 compared with 26,300 in Q2.

• Compared with Q3 2001, applications have increased by 20% from 18,860.

• In-country applications for asylum in the UK accounted for 68% of the total, compared with 64% in Q3 2001.

Largest nationalities: Iraq, Zimbabwe, Somalia

• The number of applications from Iraqi nationals increased by over a quarter from Q2, more than double

Q3 2001 and the highest applicant nationality for the third consecutive quarter.

• Applications from Zimbabwe increased by over a half this quarter to become the second highest nationality. Somalia and Iran also saw large increases, of 44% and

38% respectively.

• Applications from the Czech Republic continued to increase and remain at the highest level since Q3 1999.

• Applications fell this quarter from five of the top ten nationalities, the greatest falls being in applications from nationals of Afghanistan (-27% to the lowest level for two years) and Sri Lanka (-32% to the lowest level for almost five years).

• The top 10 nationalities in Q3 accounted for 63% of all applications, and the top 3 for 38%.

Top 10 applicant nationalities Quarter 3 2002
Iraq 4,300
Zimbabwe 2,105
Somalia 2,095
Afghanistan 1,555
China 955
Iran 725
Turkey 700
Fed Rep of Yugoslavia 635
Czech Republic 620
Sri Lanka 615
Other Nationalities 8,260
Total 22,560

Removal of Asylum Seekers

3,565 principal applicants including dependants, were removed in quarter3, 6% greater than Q2 (2,585), 17% more than in the same period last year (2,340), and the highest quarterly total on record.

At the end of September, 1,445 persons who had sought asylum at some stage were being detained in the UK under Immigration Act powers.

Nationality of Asylum Seekers Detained by region, (East European 41%, Africa 27%, Asia 26%, Middle East 3%, Americas 3%