Immigration is set to become the key issue during the next election, which is no surprise given the mess the current system for dealing with 'illegal migrants' is/
And it doesn't help that we have incredibly weak enforcement of removals for those who fail to be granted Asylum.
Asylum award rates in Britain were much lower in the early 2000s, and but legal reforms and judicial decisions have since increased the difficulties of removal for refused asylum seekers. While awards rates are now lower than their peak levels, rates of being allowed to stay, even after being refused, have dramatically increased.
Overall, the chances of being granted asylum, as well as being allowed to stay in Britain even if refused, are now better in Britain than in many EU countries.
Why the UK Appears Appealing on Paper
A lot of public discussion concerning asylum is conducted in terms of appealing to raw emotion, but let us not forget that asylum seekers act rationally. They make comparisons between systems, probabilities, and results. This makes Britain highly appealing....
As compared to the EU average, the UK allows significantly more asylum seekers within several nationalities. Iranian and Pakistani applicants, for example, face significantly better chances in the UK than they do in the rest of Europe. Based on these criteria, the UK appears to be the logical choice among applicants seeking refuge.
However, admission rates only part of the story.
The Real Pull Factor: What Happens After Rejection
In 2010, 72% of those rejected in asylum claims were recorded as having left the UK, by 2021, that number had fallen to just 21%. Evidently, Removal after a failed claim, is obviously far from likely today!
This low removal rate is because the length of appeal procedures, lack of enforcement capacity, and legal complexities all of which make removal difficult.
Final Thoughts....
I'm quite a soft touch when it comes to Asylum, but this system in which we have 80% of claims waiting on an appeal for years is simply ridiculous.
One has to wonder whether this policy mess isn't by design, a right wing design to make Asylum a political issue, push it higher up the agenda to get votes, that would not surprise me at all!