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Asylum Seekers

Answer

Information on the total number of asylum seekers currently in the UK, including failed asylum seekers, is not available. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records. In addition some applicants may leave the United Kingdom without informing the Immigration Service. E-borders and ID cards will enable us to monitor this more precisely in the future. The Home Office published on 30 June, the outcome of the assessment of the applicability to the UK of the methods used by researchers and Government agencies in other countries to estimate the size of the illegal population. The methods had been identified in the report by the Migration Research Unit (MRU) of University College London on ““Sizing the Illegally Resident Population in the UK””. A copy of the RDS On-line report 29/05—””Sizing the unauthorised (illegal) migrant population in the United Kingdom in 2001”” can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/notes/june_summaries.html. As in other countries, the number of ““unauthorised”” or ““illegal”” migrants—including failed asylum seekers—in the UK is unknown. The MRU report published last year reviewed the methods used in other countries and assessed their viability for use in the UK. That report suggested that a method which could be applied in the UK is the ““residual method”” used in the United States. The new report details how that method has been applied in the UK. It must be emphasised that, while this method is one that can be used with data available for the UK, over-reliance must not be placed on this result in the absence of the means to produce other estimates using different methods.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

2849; 436 c374-5W

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Asylum