Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an estimate of the number of people from Hong Kong who have been deported from the UK in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on the number of Hong Kong citizens in the UK awaiting a decision on their asylum application are published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the end of December 2022. Please note that data for year ending March 2023 will be published 25 May 2023.
Data on the number of people from Hong Kong who have been returned from the UK in each of the last 5 years are published in table Ret_D01 of the ‘Detention and Returns detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the end of December 2022. Data for year ending March 2023 will be published 25 May 2023.
Please note that deportations are a subset of enforced returns.
Guidance on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Hong Kong citizens in the UK are awaiting a decision on their asylum application as of 16 May 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on the number of Hong Kong citizens in the UK awaiting a decision on their asylum application are published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the end of December 2022. Please note that data for year ending March 2023 will be published 25 May 2023.
Data on the number of people from Hong Kong who have been returned from the UK in each of the last 5 years are published in table Ret_D01 of the ‘Detention and Returns detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the end of December 2022. Data for year ending March 2023 will be published 25 May 2023.
Please note that deportations are a subset of enforced returns.
Guidance on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of asylum applications were submitted by people who arrived in the UK (a) irregularly by (i) small boat and (ii) other means and (b) through a safe and legal route in 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes statistics on asylum claims from small boat arrivals in ‘4. Asylum claims from small boat arrivals’ of the ‘Irregular Migration to the UK statistics’ report.
Data on detected irregular arrivals by method of entry are published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed dataset’ of the ‘Irregular Migration to the UK statistics’.
The Home Office does not publish how many irregular arrivals who do not arrive by small boats have claimed asylum. Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, as well as quality and availability of data.
The latest data relate to the year ending December 2022. Data for the year ending March 2023 will be published on 25 May 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Please note, asylum applications are not a recognised 'safe and legal entry route' to the UK. The safe and legal entry routes are country-specific and global:
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 24 March (HL6373), why, over the past 13 years, they have allowed the UK to have a "broken asylum system".
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The significant increase in dangerous journeys across the Channel is placing unprecedented strain on our asylum system. Those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach rather than risking their lives or paying people smugglers to make the dangerous journey across the Channel.
The UK has a proud history of supporting refugees and since 2015, we have offered a place to just under half a million men, women and children seeking safety – including those from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, as well as family members of refugees
Our focus will remain on helping people directly from regions of conflict and instability, as the best way to help the most vulnerable who are at risk of war and persecution is through safe and legal routes.
This bypasses the evil criminal gangs and protects vulnerable people, including children.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to offer safe and legal routes for asylum seekers coming from countries without an active resettlement scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Between 2015 and December 2022, just under half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK– including those from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine as well as family members of refugees.
This includes the granting of approximate 45,000 family reunion visas to the family members of refugees.
This also includes over 28,200 refugees resettled through the government’s refugee resettlement schemes. The UK is one of the largest recipients of UNHCR referred refugees globally, second only to Sweden in Europe since 2015.
The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through existing resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Further information on existing safe and legal routes is available below:
Asked by: Lord Strasburger (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the legal methods for refugees who are citizens of Somalia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Eritrea, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar or the Democratic Republic of the Congo to apply for asylum in the UK when they are (1) living in the country of their citizenship, (2) living in a safe third country, or (3) living in an unsafe third country.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Whilst we sympathise with people in many difficult situations around the world, we are not bound to consider asylum claims from the very large numbers of people overseas who might like to come here. Asylum is for people in danger in their home country. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.
Between 2015 and December 2022, just under half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK– including those from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine as well as family members of refugees.
This includes over 28,200 refugees resettled through the government’s refugee resettlement schemes. Our family reunion policy has also reunited many refugees with their family members; we have issued over 44,659 visas under our refugee family reunion Rules since 2015. The UK is one of the largest recipients of UNHCR referred refugees globally, second only to Sweden in Europe since 2015.
The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through existing resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Further information on existing safe and legal routes is available below:
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the value of legal aid expenditure available to support asylum applications from individuals from (1) Hong Kong, (2) Ukraine, and (3) Afghanistan, over the past 12 months.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
Funding for legal aid is on a demand led basis, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) does not have a specific budget allocation for delivery of legal aid services in relation to specific categories of law.
Statistical data is not centrally held regarding legal expenditure provided to individuals from the specified countries.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers from Hong Kong have been waiting for their case to be processed for longer than (1) six months, (2) one year, and (3) 18 months.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
As of 10/03/2023, there are 52 Asylum Seekers in the Asylum Support Scheme with a Hong Kong nationality out of a total 108,700 Asylum Seekers. 22 of these 52 are currently in temporary accommodation.
All service users are entitled to access Wi-Fi wherever it is available with no restrictions placed on them accessing these services by the Home Office.
In 2022, 17 initial decisions were made on applications from Hong Kong nationals, 4 initial decisions were made on applications from Ukrainian nationals and 1,842 initial decisions were made on applications from Afghanistan nationals.
As at 31 Dec 2022, 115 Hong Kong nationals had been awaiting an initial decision for more than 6 months while 11 had been waiting 6 months or less (main applicants only). Please note that any further breakdowns in wait time are not published.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum applications were processed from individuals from (1) Hong Kong, (2) Ukraine, and (3) Afghanistan, in the past 12 months.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
As of 10/03/2023, there are 52 Asylum Seekers in the Asylum Support Scheme with a Hong Kong nationality out of a total 108,700 Asylum Seekers. 22 of these 52 are currently in temporary accommodation.
All service users are entitled to access Wi-Fi wherever it is available with no restrictions placed on them accessing these services by the Home Office.
In 2022, 17 initial decisions were made on applications from Hong Kong nationals, 4 initial decisions were made on applications from Ukrainian nationals and 1,842 initial decisions were made on applications from Afghanistan nationals.
As at 31 Dec 2022, 115 Hong Kong nationals had been awaiting an initial decision for more than 6 months while 11 had been waiting 6 months or less (main applicants only). Please note that any further breakdowns in wait time are not published.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Hong Kong asylum seekers are in temporary accommodation; and what proportion of those have no access to Wi-Fi.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
As of 10/03/2023, there are 52 Asylum Seekers in the Asylum Support Scheme with a Hong Kong nationality out of a total 108,700 Asylum Seekers. 22 of these 52 are currently in temporary accommodation.
All service users are entitled to access Wi-Fi wherever it is available with no restrictions placed on them accessing these services by the Home Office.
In 2022, 17 initial decisions were made on applications from Hong Kong nationals, 4 initial decisions were made on applications from Ukrainian nationals and 1,842 initial decisions were made on applications from Afghanistan nationals.
As at 31 Dec 2022, 115 Hong Kong nationals had been awaiting an initial decision for more than 6 months while 11 had been waiting 6 months or less (main applicants only). Please note that any further breakdowns in wait time are not published.