Grant rates for asylum, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave or other grants of stay vary between nationalities. For example, 85% of the total initial decisions made for nationals of Eritrea and Syria were grants, compared with 22% for Pakistani nationals.

Most applications for asylum are made by those already in the country (89% of applications) rather than by people arriving at port. Applicants tend to be young and male.

In the year ending March 2015, the number of initial decisions on asylum applications increased by 72% to 26,066. Of these decisions, 40% (10,346) were grants either of asylum or an alternative form of protection, compared with 36% (5,435) in the previous year, and the highest number of grants since year ending December 2003 (11,074).

The HM Courts and Tribunals Service received 11,067 asylum appeals from main applicants in the year ending March 2015, a rise of 47% compared with the previous 12 months (7,522).

The UK had the fifth highest number (31,400) of asylum applications within the EU in 2014. In 2014, 4 EU countries received more asylum applicants than the UK - Germany (166,800), Sweden (81,300), France (63,100) and Italy (56,300).

In addition to those asylum seekers who apply in the UK, resettlement schemes are offered. In the year ending March 2015, a total of 934 were resettled in the UK. Of these, 174 (187 since the scheme began) were granted humanitarian protection under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.

Nationalities Applying for Asylum



In the year ending March 2015, the largest number of applications for asylum came from nationals of Eritrea (3,552) followed by Pakistan (2,421). In the same period, the number of asylum applications from Eritrean nationals more than doubled to 3,552 from 1,578 in the year ending March 2014.

Grant rates for asylum, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave or other grants of stay vary between nationalities. For example, 85% of the total decisions made for nationals of Eritrea and Syria were grants, compared with 22% for Pakistani nationals.

Applications Pending



At the end of March 2015, 21,651 of the applications received since April 2006 from main applicants were pending a decision (initial decision, appeal or further review), 10% more than at the end of March 2014 (19,685). The increase is largely accounted for by a 5,361 rise in the number of pending further review (to 8,773) but balanced by a 3,395 fall in the number pending an initial decision to 12,878.



The number of decisions outstanding increased during recent periods due to a decrease in staffing levels following a restructure initiated by the UK Border Agency. Since January 2014, the Home Office took steps to reallocate resources to this area. This is reflected in the 72% (10,915) rise in the number of initial decisions on asylum applications for the year ending March 2015.

Asylum Appeals



The HM Courts and Tribunals Service received 11,067 asylum appeals from main applicants in the year ending March 2015, a 47% rise compared with the year ending March 2014 (7,522). Appeal determinations have decreased from 7,915 in the year ending March 2014 to 6,852 in the year ending March 2015. This remains well below the peaks in the number of appeals in 2009 and the number of determinations in 2010. In the year to March 2015, the proportion of appeals dismissed was 66%, while 28% of appeals were allowed and 5% were withdrawn.

Unaccompanied AsylumSeeking children (UASC)



There were 1,986 asylum applications from UASC in the year ending March 2015, an increase of 46% from the previous year (1,356). These applications represented 8% of all main applications for asylum in the year ending March 2015, but accounted for half of the increase. Despite the recent increase in UASC applications, they remain below the peak of 3,976 in 2008. There were 1,677 initial decisions for UASC in the year ending March 2015, 78% higher than in the year ending March 2014 (941). Overall, there was a fall in the proportion of decisions that were grants, from 73% of decisions in the year ending March 2014 to 66% in the year ending March 2015.

Age disputes



Some asylum applicants claim to be children but there can be doubt as to whether this is in fact the case. In the year ending March 2015, 348 asylum applicants had their age disputed and there were 461 recorded as having an age assessment. Of those who completed age assessments in the year ending March 2015, 57% had a date of birth showing that they were over 18 despite claiming to be a child when the age dispute was raised.

Dependants



Including dependants, the number of asylum applications increased from 30,203 in the year ending March 2014 to 31,407 in the year ending March 2015, an increase of 4% and an average of 1 dependant for every 4 main applicants. In the same period, 8,967 initial decisions were made relating to dependants. Of these 2,334 (26%) were granted asylum, 312 (3%) were granted a form of temporary protection or other type of grant, and 6,321 (70%) were refused.



World events have an effect on which nationals are applying for asylum at any particular time. For example, there have been increases in the number of applicants from Syria since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in early 2011. In the year ending March 2015, including dependants, there were 2,532 asylum applications compared to 158 in the year ending March 2011. In addition, increasing numbers of people have sought asylum from Eritrea in the circumstances of international concern over human rights within the country. In the year ending March 2015, including dependants, there were 3,594 asylum applications from nationals of Eritrea compared to 793 in the year ending March 2011.

Support



At the end of March 2015, 30,476 asylum seekers and their dependants were being supported under Section 95. This figure has increased each quarter since the end of September 2012, but is still considerably below the figure for the end of 2003 (the start of the published data series), when there were 80,123 asylum seekers in receipt of Section 95.

The number of failed asylum seekers and their dependants receiving support (under Section 4) at the end of March 2015 was 4,941. Failed asylum seekers (main applicants only) receiving support peaked at the end of September 2009 (12,019).

UK Home Office Published 21st May 2015