UK gets record 63,000 asylum applications in June 2022, accepts over 15,000

LONDON, UK

The UK received a record of over 63,000 asylum applications in June 2022, the most in nearly two decades, and accepted almost one-fourth of them, according to government figures released on Thursday.

British authorities offered official protection, including asylum, resettlement, and relocation, to 15,684 people that month, after getting 63,089 applications, the highest number since 2003, showed the national statistics published online.

The number of approved protection requests was 24% lower than in 2019, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, though higher than figures recorded in 2015-2018. Resettlement represented 10% (1,622) of those people who requested protection this year, while the number of requests was 77% higher than in 2019.

These figures do not, however, account for those resettled or relocated under two 2021 schemes for people fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Made under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, they will be included in future government immigration statistics.

People from Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and Iran made up the top five nationalities applying for official protection in the UK.

With the launch of Russia's attack on Ukraine in February this year, the Britain introduced the Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme to accept refugees fleeing the war in that country. By the end of June 2022, a total of 151,482 applications were made, of which 133,854 were granted.

Under the Ukraine Family Scheme, 47,378 applications were made by March 31, including 43,325 that were granted. Similarly 104,104 applications had been made for the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, with 90,529 accepted.

The UK also introduced Ukraine Extension Scheme, under which 14,098 extensions were provided.

According to the figures, the British government has accepted more refugees from Ukraine than all those who came from conflict zones outside of Europe.

In addition to the high acceptance rate, authorities have offered to pay UK residents £300 ($355) to resettle Ukrainian refugees in their homes and has provided them with the right to work and travel freely, among other privileges and benefits not given to other asylum seekers in the country.

Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban takeover last year have been resettled temporarily in hotels but were told by the Home Office earlier this month to search for private accommodations via real estate agents. The order drew condemnation from charities and rights groups who warned of homelessness among the refugees due to a lack of knowledge on rental laws and processes.

The government has been accused of hypocrisy and double standards in its response to the Ukraine war and handling of Ukrainian refugees' arrival in the UK. Condemnation across the country intensified following an immigration agreement with Rwanda that would see asylum seekers in the UK deported to the East African country.

A total of 69.5 million people from beyond the Common Travel Area (CTA) with Ireland visited the UK by the end of June 2022. This was a 253% increase from the same period in 2021, when only 19.7 million people visited the UK as a result of the travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Just over 2 million visas were granted by the Home Office in the same period. Of those, 45% were for short-term visits, 24% were student visas, 16% work visas, 2% for family-related visits, and 14% were related to other reasons.