The immigration statistics for the third quarter, July to September, of 2018 (Q3) have been released today. Key asylum figures are below and you can find the data tables here.
Applications:
- In Q3 of 2018 there were 7,444 asylum applications, compared to 6,584 in Q2.
- In the last year ending Q3 2018, there were 27,966 asylum applications, 4% more than the previous year.
Decisions:
- There were 5,100 initial decisions in Q3 and 36% were granted asylum or other forms of protection (1,832), of which 1,519 were grants of asylum (30%) and 169 were grants of HP/ DL (3%).
- In the last year, there were 21,761 initial decisions, of which 30% were grants of asylum or alternative forms of protection. In the previous year, there were 21,901 initial decisions with a grant rate of 34%.
- There were 6,904 grants of asylum in the last year (down 1,250, or 15% from the previous year), driven predominantly by falls in grants to Eritrean (down 988), Iranian (down 560) and Sudanese (down 458) nationals.
- There were 2,272 grants of an alternative form of protection in the last year (more than doubled), driven predominantly by an increase in grants of humanitarian protection to Libyan nationals (up 742).
Pending cases
- There were 24,213 cases pending initial decision at the end of Q3 2018, of which 48% (11,538) were more than 6 months old, an increase of 8% since the last quarter. This compares to 22,676 cases pending initial decision at the end of Q2 2018, of which 47% (10,707) were more than 6 months old.
Appeals
- There were 2,569 appeals received in Q3 2018 and 2,818 appeals determined, of which 39% (1,100) were allowed. This compares to 3,094 appeals received in Q2 2018 and 2,867 appeals determined, of which 40% (1,136) were allowed.
- In the last year, 12,475 appeals were received and 11,390 appeals were determined, of which 38% were allowed (4,350). This compares to 10,719 appeals received in the previous year and 15,819 determined appeals, of which 35% were allowed (5,526).
Asylum Support
- At the end of Q3 2018, there were 43,383 asylum-seekers supported under section 95 support (40,481 in dispersed accommodation and 2,902 subsistence only), up 10% from the previous year.
- Only 40 Local Authorities (less than 10% of all LAs) are hosting 81% of all asylum seekers in dispersal accommodation.
- At the end of Q3 2018, there were 4,064 people receiving section 4 support, up 4% from the previous year.
Resettlement
- In Q3, there were 180 people resettled via the Gateway Protection Programme, 3 via the Mandate scheme, 1,110 via the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and 192 via the Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme.
- A total of 5,994 people were resettled in the UK in the year ending September 2018 under various schemes, with the Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) accounting for three-quarters (4,567) of those resettled in that time. Since it began in 2014, 13,961 people have now been resettled under the scheme.
- Since the scheme began in July 2016, 159 refugees have been resettled by community sponsor groups.
