Update from Asylum Matters – Q1 2017 Stats, Destitute Pregnant Women, Destitution in Scotland, Manifestos

Shamelessly ripping off Andrea’s work

1. Q1 2017 Asylum Stats

 The immigration statistics for January to March 2017 have been released today. Key asylum figures are below and you can find the data tables here.

Applications: 

In Q1 (2017), there were 6,516 asylum applications, compared with 7,419 in Q4 (2016).

Decisions: 

There were 5,953 initial decisions in Q1 of which 31% were grants of asylum (1,825) and 1% were grants of HP/ DL (48). This compares with 6,088 initial decisions in Q4, of which 32% were grants of asylum (1,953) and 1% were grants of HP/DL (63).

 Pending cases

 There were 20,442 cases pending initial decision at the end of Q1 (of which 8,679 were more than 6 months old). This compares with 21,475 cases pending initial decision at the end of Q4 (of which 8,825 were over 6 months old).

Appeals

In Q1, 2,590 appeals were received and 5,205 were determined with 35% allowed (1,806). This compares to Q4, when 3,023 appeals were received and 4,077 were determined with 35% allowed (1,435).  

Asylum Support

At the end of Q1, 39,365 asylum-seekers were on section 95 support (2,861 subsistence only, 36,504 in dispersed accommodation). This compares with Q4, when 39,389 asylum seekers were supported (2,763 subsistence only, 36,626 dispersed acc).

Of these, the majority were in dispersed accommodation in the North West (9,524), followed by the West Midlands (4,980), Yorkshire and Humber (4,738), Scotland (3,485), the North East (3,105), London (3,005), Wales (2,886), the East Midlands (2,604), the South West (839), Norther Ireland (677), East of England (458), and the South East (392).

At the end of Q1, 2,462 were receiving section 4 support, compared with 2,424 at the end of Q1.

Resettlement

At the end of Q1 there were 245 people resettled via the Gateway Protection Programme, 15 via the Mandate Scheme, and 1,601 via the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. This compares to 336 via Gateway, 4 via Mandate and 1,292 via VPR in Q4.

2. Red Cross Figures Reveal Destitution Faced by Pregnant Women and New Mothers

 The Red Cross has revealed that pregnant women and new mothers were among thousands of destitute refugees and asylum seekers they supported this year. Between January and March, the Red Cross helped more than 5,400 people without adequate access to food, housing or health care. Among them were 70 women who received nappies from the Red Cross, and nearly 100 women who were given baby packs. Although destitute women who are asylum seekers are eligible for small additional financial support during pregnancy, they frequently experience significant delays in receiving these payments. The Red Cross has warned that government plans to cut asylum support could leave even more families with infants in poverty. You can read more from the Red Cross here.

 3. EHRiC Report on Destitution and Insecure Immigration Status in Scotland

 The Equality and Human Rights Committee of the Scottish Parliament has published its inquiry report into destitution and insecure immigration status in Scotland: Hidden Lives – New Beginnings: Destitution, asylum and insecure immigration status in Scotland. The report has found that the asylum and immigration system is “peppered with points at which the risk of destitution becomes likely”, referring to the complexity and inaccessibility of the process that makes it difficult to engage with. The report recommends the creation of a ‘Scottish anti-destitution strategy’ to inform a national approach to mitigating destitution and the creation of a new Scottish government advocacy service for destitute people with insecure immigration status, among other things. The Scottish Refugee Council has welcomed the report. The Scottish Parliament will debate the findings and recommendations of the report on the afternoon of Tuesday 30^th May 2017, starting at approximately 3.20pm. You can watch the debate live online at: http://www.scottishparliament.tv/, or on the Scottish Parliament section of BBC Democracy Live.

4. Election Manifestos – Commitments to Asylum-seekers & Refugees

Conservative Manifesto

“We will ensure Britain remains a place of sanctuary for refugees and asylum seekers. The existing system is, however, geared towards people who are young enough, fit enough, and have the resources to get to Britain, rather than those who are most in need of our help.

Wherever possible, the government will offer asylum and refuge to people in parts of the world affected by conflict and oppression, rather than to those who have made it to Britain. We will work to reduce asylum claims made in Britain, and as we do so, increase the number of people we help in the most troubled regions. We will continue to work with other countries in Europe, and the United Nations, to review the international legal definitions of asylum and refugee status. 

We will make sure our councils get the help they need to deal with people as they arrive, and establish schemes to help individuals, charities, faith groups, churches and businesses to provide housing and other support for refugees.”

Labour Manifesto

“Refugees are not migrants. They have been forced from their homes, by war, famine or other disasters. Unlike the Tories, we will uphold the proud British tradition of honouring the spirit of international law and our moral obligations by taking our fair share of refugees. The current arrangements for housing and dispersing refugees are not fit for purpose. They are not fair to refugees or to our communities. We will review these arrangements.”

Liberal Democrats Manifesto

“And for asylum, the Liberal Democrats will:

• Apply the asylum system fairly, efficiently and humanely including the process for those who have no right to be here.
• Offer safe and legal routes to the UK for refugees to prevent them from making dangerous journeys, which too often result in the loss of life for example via reform of family reunion rules to make it easier for refugees to joining relatives already living in safety in the UK.
• Expand the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to offer sanctuary to 50,000 over the lifetime of the next Parliament.
• Re-open the Dubs unaccompanied child refugee scheme, ensuring Britain meets its responsibilities by taking in 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children. Liberal Democrats would offer these children indefinite leave to remain, meaning they will not be deported once they turn 18.
• End indefinite immigration detention by introducing a 28-day limit.
• Speed up the processing of asylum claims, reducing the time genuine refugees must wait before they can settle into life in the UK.
• Expect working-age asylum seekers who have waited more than six months for their claim to be processed to seek work like other benefit claimants, and only to receive benefits if they are unable to do so.
• Offer asylum to people fleeing countries where their sexual orientation or gender identification means that they risk imprisonment, torture, or execution and stop deporting people at risk to such countries.”

UKIP Manifesto

“UKIP will comply fully with the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and honour our obligations to bona fide asylum seekers.”