Border checks ‘In chaos’ as asylum seekers soar by 12%

The number of foreigners seeking asylum in the UK has risen by 12 per cent over the past year. Official EU figures show 6,070 people arrived in the country claiming refuge in the first three months of 2011 – up from 5,400 in 2010. The total number of new asylum applications in the past 12 months was 22,735. When repeat and existing applicants are included, the number was 24,140. Campaigners yesterday said the figures underlined the need for Britain to ignore human-rights legislation and set its own standards for granting sanctuary. UK Independence Party Euro MP and home affairs spokesman Gerard Batten said: “These numbers will continue growing as long as we see deteriorating political situations around the world and have something to offer economic migrants. “The whole border control system is in chaos and the only way to bring it back on track is to repeal the Human Rights Act that forces us to grant asylum and withdraw from the EU.“We have to take control of our borders and impose our own strict criteria, not take orders from abroad.” Alp Mehmet, of Migrationwatch, said: “There is no obvious reason for this increase. The most important point now is that those who don’t qualify for asylum are returned to the countries from whence they came as quickly as possible. “They should not be permitted to stay for reasons that most ordinary British people would regard as feeble and unconvincing.” Yesterday’s figures were published by Eurostat, the statistical arm of the EU. They revealed a six per cent rise in asylum seekers across Europe in the first quarter of this year, following the mass influx of migrants fleeing the chaos of the Arab uprisings. Germany and France were hit hardest by the wave of north Africans, mainly Tunisians, and 40 per cent of all new applications were made in those two countries. Italy had 1,300 extra applicants. Sweden recorded the biggest fall – 33 per cent – mainly due to a drop in the number of Somalis. The biggest groups coming to the UK were from Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. Most of those were men aged 18 to 34. Across the EU as a whole, there were 66,000 applications in the first three months of the year. Afghans formed the largest group, followed by Russians and Iraqis. Of the 6,335 asylum decisions made by UK Border Agency officials in the first three months of this year, 4,530 applications were rejected. But many stay on in the country illegally.