Ian Duncan Smith criticised for immigration statistics

The UK Statistics Authority has complained that Duncan Smith’s statistics on immigrants on benefits were rushed out by ministers, and that weaknesses in the data were ignored.

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Source: Independent

UKBA Asylum Statistics for May 2011

Home Office Monthly Asylum Statistics for May 2011 (Released July 28^th) http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/asylum-may-2011?view=Binary

Research and Statistics: ICAR

Stateless By Any Other Name: Refused Asylum-Seekers in the United Kingdom B K. Blitz; M Otero-Iglesias – Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies is an article which maintains that there are certain aspects of the UK asylum system which may lead to statelessness-like situations and it calls into question the application of key principles of human rights as they relate to refused asylum-seekers, especially the tenets of dignity and non-discrimination, and the right to family life.

Doing Research With Refugees: Issues and Guidelines by B Temple, R Moran – Policy Press. This updated book explores methodological issues relating to the involvement of refugees in both service evaluation and development and research.

From Dutch Dispersal to Ethnic Enclaves in the UK: The Relationship between Segregation and Integration Examined through the Eyes of Somalis by S Van Liempt – Urban Studies. Since 2000, a considerable number of Somalis with Dutch passports have started to move from cities and small towns in the Netherlands, which were relatively mixed, to residential environments in the UK with much higher concentrations of Somalis and other immigrants. This paper examines experiences of integration and segregation in the Netherlands and the UK by interviewing some of these Somalis.

Forced Marriage and Refugee Status by C Dauvergne and J Millbank. This study analyses 120 refugee decisions involving a claim of forced marriage as persecution from 1994-2008 from the courts and tribunals of United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. It shows a deep and on-going resistance to forced marriage as the basis for refugee claims in the UK in comparison with Canada and Australia.

Immigration detention in Northern Ireland by R Wilson -  Criminal Justice Matters. Robin Wilson reports on the lack of due process for asylum seekers and highlights how when it comes to those seeking asylum in the UK, a system of shadow law has developed in recent years, to which normal rules of natural justice do not apply.

The Dispersal and Social Exclusion of Asylum Seekers: Between Liminality and Belonging by P Hynes – Policy Press. This book establishes asylum seekers as a socially excluded group, investigating the policy of dispersing asylum seekers across the UK and providing an overview of historic and contemporary dispersal systems.

Refugee Council briefing on Home Office asylum statistics for 2010 Details of applications and decisions made under the asylum process. This briefing pulls out the asylum statistics for the fourth quarter of 2010 and collates the figures from the four bulletins into annual totals.

The Relationship Between Trauma, Post-Migration Problems and the Psychological Well-Being of Refugees and Asylum Seekers by  K Carswell, C Barker, P Blackburn – Int J Soc Psychiatry is a study investigating the relationship between trauma, post-migration problems, social support and the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers.

Control of Immigration statistics

Iraqi refugees – interpreting the statistics

(IRIN) – Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis fled the country after sectarian violence broke out following the 2003 war which toppled Saddam Hussein. However, the precise number of refugees is hard to ascertain and fluctuates in line with changing perceptions and the security situation in Iraq.

“It would be nice to have the full picture, but the special circumstances of the Iraqi refugee population means we don’t… although we have a good idea of the refugees registered with us,” said Andrew Harper, head of the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) Iraq Support Unit in Geneva.

Host governments (largely in the Middle East) at one time estimated that more than 2.5 million Iraqis had fled to their countries. But that statistic is now too high, say independent experts not affiliated with UNHCR. Distinguishing between refugees and other migrants, and deducting the number of those who have returned to Iraq for good can be difficult.

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Migration Statistics November 2010

Immigration and Asylum Statistics

The RDS statistics on immigration, asylum and nationality cover:

• passenger arrivals, admissions and refusals at air, sea and Channel Tunnel ports in the UK
• asylum applications, decisions and appeals
• people refused entry at port and then removed, enforced removals and voluntary departures
• people detained under immigration powers
• immigration appeals
• applications for an extension of stay, including settlement

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Refugee Council responds to asylum statistics

In response to the publication on 27 August of the Home Office asylum and immigration statistics for the second quarter of 2010, Donna Covey, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council said: “We are pleased the government is currently looking to improve the asylum system, but these statistics show how important it is that they acknowledge some of the serious failings of the asylum process.

“Too often people seeking safety in the UK are let down by the asylum system – these figures show that almost a third of appeals are still being allowed, proving a significant proportion of initial asylum claims are being wrongly refused (this figure is almost half for Somali asylum seekers (49 per cent) and Zimbabwean asylum seekers (48 per cent). With the government proposing further cuts to legal aid for asylum seekers, we are concerned that without legal advice, many more will be wrongly refused protection and returned to countries where their lives are in danger.

“The detention figures are also cause for alarm – up to 40 per cent of people detained were later released back into their community, showing that detaining them was unnecessary in the first place. Detention must only be used as a last resort, and for the shortest time possible.”

Covey continued: “We now urge the government to focus on improving the first stages of the asylum system, to ensure people are supported throughout the process so that the right decisions are made first time. Not only will this save public money by getting people out of the system faster and avoiding costly legal challenges, this will also ensure people who have fled horrors in their own countries can start rebuilding their lives here.”

Read the Home Office statistics here: http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/immiq210.pdf

Monthly Asylum Statistics

Migration statistics – quarterly releases on 27 May 2010

1. Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary United Kingdom, 2010, Q1 (Home Office):

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/immiq110.pdf

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/immiq110supp.xls Read more

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