In the year ending June 2014, there were 4,279 enforced removals of people who had sought asylum at some stage, down 15% from the previous year (5,058). This figure is 64% lower than the peak in 2004 (11,743) when this data series began. In the year ending June 2014, 66% of total enforced removals were non-asylum cases (8,136), down 11% from the previous year (9,101) and down 19% from the peak of 10,070 in 2008.
The highest number of enforced removals in the year ending June 2014 were for nationals of Pakistan (1,747; 14% of the total). The second highest were for nationals of India (1,148; 9% of the total). In the year ending June 2014, provisional data show that 4,905 foreign national offenders (FNOs) were removed, an increase of 1% from the previous year (4,870).
Detention: The number of people entering detention fell 2% to 29,124. There was a decline, continuing a long term trend, in the proportion of detainees being removed, from 59% in the year ending June 2013 to 56% in the year ending June 2014. There was an increase in the proportion of detainees granted temporary admission or release from 34% to 36% over the same period. As at the end of June 2014, 3,079 people were in detention, 2% fewer than 12 months earlier (3,142).
In the second quarter of 2014 (April to June), 19 children entered detention in immigration removal centres, short-term holding facilities and pre-departure accommodation, which, together with the figures for the first quarters of 2011 and 2014, is the lowest in the series. Of the 20 children leaving detention in the second quarter of 2014, 16 were removed from the UK, 3 were granted temporary admission or release and one was released into the care of the local authority.
Permission to stay permanently (settlement): There were 24% fewer (-36,434) grants of permission to stay permanently (settlement), falling to 117,737, accounted for by falls in work-related (-12,495), family-related (-19,261) and asylum-related grants (-7,167), slightly offset by an increase in grants for other reasons (+2,489).
Asylum: There were 23,479 asylum applications (main applicants), similar to the previous 12 months (23,523), but low relative to the peak in 2002 (84,132). The largest numbers of applications were from Pakistani (3,081), Eritrean (2,115), Iranian (2,041) and Syrian (1,716) nationals. The number of initial decisions on asylum applications has decreased by 26%, to 13,861 in the year ending June 2014. Of these decisions, 37% (5,066) were grants of asylum, a form of temporary protection or other type of grant.
At the end of June 2014, 21,104 of the applications for asylum received since April 2006 from main applicants were pending a decision (initial decision, appeal or further review). This was 45% more than at the end of June 2013 (14,589). The number of decisions outstanding increased during this period due to a decrease in staffing levels following a restructure initiated by the UK Border Agency. The Home Office has recruited over 170 decision makers since January to address this and is continuing to do so.
The HM Courts and Tribunals Service received 6,610 asylum appeals from main applicants in the year ending June 2014, a fall of 24% compared with the previous 12 months (8,754).
At the end of June 2014, 26,720 asylum seekers were being supported while their asylum claim was finally determined (under Section 95). The number of failed asylum seekers and their dependants receiving support (under Section 4) was 4,862. These were up 25% and 9% respectively compared with the previous year.
Read the full report here All data relate to the year ending June 2014 and all comparisons are with the year ending June 2013, unless indicated otherwise.