Big rise in Mugabe refugees masks downward trend

A sudden jump in the number of refugees from Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe has contributed to an 8 per cent rise in applications for asylum in the first three months of the year.

The number of people claiming to be refugees from Zimbabwe rose by 92 per cent to 1,495, the highest quarterly figure from the troubled African state. Zimbabwe rose to third in the list of chief applicant nationalities, behind Iraq (2,840) and Afghanistan (2,350). Total applications rose from 18,005 in the last quarter of 2001 to 19,520.

Although the figures have been used to support claims that immigration pressures have been growing rapidly, the increase from the first quarter of 2001 was only 730 (up 4 per cent). And the Home Office said yesterday that the annual figure for the 12 months to the end of March showed a 10 per cent fall in applications compared with the previous 12 months.

In the financial year 2001-02 there were 72,430 asylum claims, down from 80,205 in 2000-2001.

As applications fell in Britain over the 12 months, they rose in France (up 22 per cent), Germany (12 per cent), Austria (65 per cent) and Spain (27 per cent) as pressure from migration continued to be a European-wide issue.

The British Government in particular remains deeply unsettled by claims that Britain is being "swamped" by asylum claims. It seemed more than a coincidence that the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, chose yesterday to announce plans for fast-track deportations of asylum-seekers whose claims were judged to be "manifestly unfounded".

The announcement drew attention from the rise in asylum claims but also disguised encouraging signs that increased resources put into the immigration department are helping to reduce the backlog. Initial decisions on cases rose by 9 per cent and reduced a backlog of applications that once stood above 100,000 to 35,500.

Critics have argued that the hastiness of initial decisions has led to an increase in appeals, pushing the backlog further down the application process. But the Home Office said yesterday that the number of appeals dealt with at the start of 2002 rose to a quarterly record of 14,010.

There was a rise in the number of asylum-seekers asking for support from the Home Office's National Asylum Support Service. The 17,540 NASS-support applications was an increase of 13 per cent on the previous quarter.

At the end of March this year, there were 45,640 asylum-seekers dispersed around Britain in NASS-approved accommodation. The largest numbers were in Yorkshire and Humberside (9,460); the North-west (8,870) and the West Midlands (8,030), with only 1,870 living in London.

A further 30,740 asylum-seekers were living with friends or relatives and only receiving subsistence support, of which the great majority (21,370) were in London. Some 1,370 failed asylum-seekers are being held in detention.

Migration patterns continue to fluctuate according to political, environmental and social changes around the globe. The top five asylum applicant countries for Britain in the financial year 2001-02 were Afghanistan (9,640), Iraq (7,670), Somalia (6,405), Sri Lanka (5,325) and Turkey (3,340). But during the first three months of this year applications fell sharply from three of these countries: Turkey (down 22 per cent), Sri Lanka (down 13 per cent) and Somalia (down 6 per cent).