August 22, 2007	Wednesday	Sha’aban 8, 1428

LONDON, Aug 21: The UK is fast losing its attraction for potential asylum seekers from the world over with the number of applicants continuing to fall in the face of stricter monitoring of borders and even stricter conditionalities now being attached for the grant of asylum.

According to official statistics released on Tuesday, the quarterly asylum figures for April to June 2007 show that there were 4,950 applications, excluding dependants, a drop of 13 per cent on the previous quarter.

Removals of failed asylum seekers, excluding dependants, were down seven per cent when compared to the first quarter of 2007. This is said to highlight the Border and Immigration Agency’s commitment to remove the most dangerous people first, with a record 2,784 foreign national prisoners deported in the financial year 2006-07. Applications for asylum fell by over 2,000 in 2006 to its lowest level since 1993. The figures show that 23,610 applications, excluding dependants, were lodged last year, representing an eight per cent fall in applications when compared with 2005.

While asylum applications continue to fall, the removal of those with no right to be in the UK reached record levels. In 2006, 63,865 people were removed from the UK, an increase of 10 per cent on 2005 levels. The number of failed asylum seekers, excluding dependants, removed last year increased by 19 per cent.

There are now said to be fewer people than ever coming to Britain and making claims for asylum.

Last year the UK delivered record removals of those still in Britain illegally — with one being deported every 8 minutes.

The quarterly asylum figures for April to June 2007 show that the trend of falling asylum applications has continued. In the latest three month period there were 4,950 applications, excluding dependants, — a drop of 13 per cent on the previous quarter.

Removals of failed asylum seekers, excluding dependants, were down seven per cent when compared to the first quarter of 2007.

The UK also removed nearly 2000 foreign national prisoners in the first six months of this year, and the government has vowed to deport 4,000 by the end of the year.

Today’s statistics also show that in 2006 the number of people granted settlement, or indefinite leave to remain in the UK, fell by a quarter.