Neccessity, not Choice, Brings Refugees to Britain

By Alan Travis

The Guardian – Contrary to popular assumption, most refugees have no idea where they are headed when they flee their home countries, research finds.

Refugees have little, if any choice, over which country they claim asylum in with most only learning they were heading to Britain after they left their home country, according to new research published today.

The Refugee Council report based on in-depth interviews with 43 refugees and asylum seekers also explodes myths about ‘benefit tourism’ showing that three-quarters had no knowledge of welfare support before coming to the UK.

The study by Professor Heaven Crawley, director of the centre for migration policy research at Swansea University, shows that most asylum seekers often had to leave their home countries within a few days or weeks because they were in fear of their lives. Their primary motivation was to reach a place of safety.

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