Written question asked by Jeremy Corbyn (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 February 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 February 2009. It was answered by Phil Woolas (Labour) on Monday, 23 February 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Asylum: Democratic Republic of Congo

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Democratic Republic of Congo nationals have been refused asylum but have not left the UK whilst exercising a right of appeal to remain.

Answer: Information on how many Democratic Republic of Congo nationals have been refused asylum is published annually and quarterly. Annual figures are available in Table 3.3 of Asylum Statistics United Kingdom.Information on how many people have not left the UK while exercising a right of appeal is not available. This is due to the fact that an appellant may leave the UK voluntarily without informing the UK Border Agency. While an appellant is exercising their right of appeal they are not a failed asylum seeker and therefore are not removable until their appeal rights are exhausted.Information on persons who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities in 2005-08 will be published in Tables 7 a-c of the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom—Q4 2008 bulletin on 24 February 2009. It is not possible to say what stage in the asylum process the returnees have reached at the time they have left the UK.Copies of these publications are/will be available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:"http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html"

Secondary information