The approval rate for asylum seekers in the UK is now more than double that of countries such as France and Sweden. Photo: TOLGA AKMEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Britain is granting asylum to a higher percentage of migrants than most other European countries after the number of approved applications doubled after Brexit, an analysis of official data has found.
Asylum approval rate for migrants According to an analysis of official data from 33 European countries, the share of arrivals peaked at 75.1 percent in the year ending September 2023, up from 31.1 percent in 2018.
< p>This means that the UK has risen from 26th to seventh place in the ranking of European countries with the highest initial approval rates. It is led by countries such as Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands and Estonia.
Britain's approval rate for asylum seekers is now more than double that of countries such as France (30.6 percent) and Sweden (32.2 percent). cent). They are also about 50 percent higher than southern EU countries such as Italy (46 percent) and Greece (52.9 percent), which have seen a surge in illegal migration across the Mediterranean.
The rise in approvals is partly explained by Britain's failure to negotiate a new «Dublin» return agreement with the EU, which meant the UK turned away fewer asylum seekers on the basis that they had passed through a safe third country in Europe. /p>
It also coincided with increased conflict and instability in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa, leading to a surge in asylum seekers from countries such as Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan. Migrants from all these countries have traditionally had high levels of approval.
Rishi Sunak made Stop the Boats No. 39; one of his key promises during his time as Prime Minister. Photo: JAMES MANNING/AFP
But Whitehall insiders blamed a system in which caseworkers made asylum decisions based on «overly cautious» case law, which set the thresholds for positive decisions «incredibly low». They said guidance for caseworkers on «safe» countries was also out of date.
«If there is even the slightest chance that you are being persecuted in your country of origin, caseworkers will grant them asylum,» the source said. “Asylum tribunals have case law that sets the threshold incredibly low and eliminates risk, which requires caution.
“Social workers are bound in many ways by the recommendations and this case law. What is the point of them inundating the tribunal with refusals, which the tribunals then cancel en masse?”
“Case law is often not easily distinguished from primary legislation. It is bound by treaty obligations and article rights, which means you run headlong into international law obligations which complicate matters.
“The grant rate is an issue, but the bigger issue is the return. Even if you cut the grant rate, you'll still have people you're struggling to get back.»
UK rejected fewer asylum seekers on the grounds that they had passed through a safe third country in Europe. Photo: BEN STANSALL/AFP < p>Romania had the lowest grant rate at 14.4 percent, followed by Cyprus (17.8 percent), Malta (28.3 percent), France (30.6 percent), Iceland (30.9 percent) and Sweden ( 31.4 percent).
Estonia had the highest level of grants at 97.7 percent, followed by Switzerland (87.1 percent), Ireland (83 percent), Portugal (81.9 percent), the Netherlands (81.7 percent). percent), Lithuania (80.2 percent) and Great Britain. (75.1 percent).
James Cleverley, the Home Secretary, is currently trying to push through legislation to allow migrants to be sent to Rwanda Photo: AFP
John Featonby, The Refugee Council's chief policy analyst said it was «well understood» that people fleeing tyrannical regimes such as Afghanistan, Eritrea and Iran, or conflicts in countries such as Syria and Sudan, should receive protection. /p>
Since 2021, migrants from these five countries have accounted for more than half of all asylum decisions in the UK, contributing to an increase in the number of asylum applications approved.
“Instead of trying to refuse even to process applications and send people halfway around the world, the government must focus on creating a fair and humane asylum system that makes quality decisions in a reasonable timeframe,” Mr Featonby said.
The University of Oxford Migration Observatory said that there has been a sharp drop in the number of migrants being refused asylum on the grounds that they had traveled through safe countries before reaching the UK.
Prior to Brexit, asylum seekers could be returned to the UK. these are “safe countries” according to the “Dublin” agreement. However, it was not renewed, meaning that the number of people refused extradition to third countries fell from 3,300 in 2020 to just 50 in 2021.
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