RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES
The asylum seekers fleeing their countries for safety in the UK
NEARLY 40,000 asylum seekers arrived in the UK in 2016, but only a fraction are being allowed to stay.
New figures show that the top ten places people are fleeing from to the UK are overwhelmingly countries experiencing war, repression or domestic political chaos.
Leading the list last year were Iran, Pakistan and Iraq.
There were 4,837 applications submitted for asylum in the UK by Iranians, followed by 3,773 from Pakistanis, while Iraqis accounted for 3,734 cases. There were also 3,115 applications from people from Afghanistan, and Bangladesh saw 2,256 people apply for asylum. Most people seeking asylum come from Asia and Africa, though Albanians - from Europe - had eighth highest number of applications at 1,884. In total, 39,357 people applied for asylum in the UK, but only 9,944 had their applications approved.
The greatest proportion of those seeking refugee status are people aged between 25 and 29.
Some 9,824 children sought asylum in the UK in 2016, and 3,290 of them were unaccompanied - meaning they travelled without an adult.
But just 1,396 - or 42% - of these unaccompanied children were granted some form of stay in the UK, including asylum, discretionary leave and humanitarian protection. A further 1,634 are still awaiting a decision.
It’s up to the UK border agency to decide who gets given asylum.
If a person is granted asylum, they’re given refugee status which lasts for five years.
After five years, refugees can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. This is a legal status allowing them to stay in the UK.
In 2002, the highest number of applications was recorded at 103,081 - and 10,992 people were granted asylum.
That year, Iraq saw the greatest number of people seeking refugee status, at 15,367 applications - which was likely due to the impending Iraq war.
By 2004, total applications had dropped by more than 50% to 40,623, and on the whole, numbers have continued to fall.
By 2012 there were 27,928 applications. But by 2015, applications climbed to 39,968, before dipping slightly to the 39,357 seen last year. Meanwhile, the number of people being granted asylum in the UK has risen fairly steadily. In 2004, 2,159 people were granted asylum. By 2008 this had jumped to 4,782 people, and in 2012 there were 6,542 people given refugee status. Figures for 2016 show that 8,419 people were given asylum, and Syrians had the most applications approved - for 1,757 people.