Asylum (Hansard, 6 November 1992)

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many asylum seekers(a) came to the United Kingdom, (b) wilfully destroyed their documentation and (c) arrived with inadequate documentation in the last year for which figures are available;
(2) what percentage of asylum applicants apply at the port of entry; and of those what percentage have been seen to destroy their nationality documents;
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(3) how many of those who claim asylum enter the United Kingdom (a) without documents, (b) as visitors, (c) students and (d) pre-entry cleared asylum seekers.

§ Mr. Charles Wardle
For information on the total asylum applications to the United Kingdom by location, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 20 October 1992 at columns261–62.
In the first half of 1992, 26 per cent. of all asylum applications to the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, were made at ports. Available information on these cases, as a percentage of total port asylum applications is given in table A.
About 75 per cent. of all applications were made in-country. Available information on these cases is given in table B.

Table A

Applications made at ports for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, January to June 1992

Percentages

Percentage of total port applicants

With genuine documents 33

With forged documents 15

With mutilated documents 3

With no documents 48

Table B

Applications made in country¹ for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, January to June 1992

Percentages

Percentage of total in-country applicants

Applicants who were admitted to the United Kingdom as visitors² 53

Applicants who were admitted to the United Kingdom as students² 5

Other in-country applicants¹³ 43

¹ Includes also a small number of applications recorded as made overseas; this number may be underrecorded.

² Includes those who applied after their leave as a visitor or student had expired.

³ Includes also, inter alia, applications made by illegal entrants, cases with no documents, and cases where the immigration status is not known or not yet recorded.

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 20 October,Official Report, columns 261–62, what proportion of the figures quoted in respect of exceptional leave to remain represent second or subsequent applications for (a) extension of leave and (b) upgrade to asylum.

§ Mr. Charles Wardle
The figures referred to are just of first grants of exceptional leave following determination of the asylum application. They exclude decisions on applications for subsequent extensions of exceptional leave or for upgrading to asylum.

Table A
Applications made at ports for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, January to June 1992
Percentages
	Percentage of total port applicants
With genuine documents	33
With forged documents	15
With mutilated documents	3
With no documents	48

Table B
Applications made in country¹ for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, January to June 1992
Percentages
	Percentage of total in-country applicants
Applicants who were admitted to the United Kingdom as visitors²	53
Applicants who were admitted to the United Kingdom as students²	5
Other in-country applicants¹³	43
¹ Includes also a small number of applications recorded as made overseas; this number may be underrecorded.
² Includes those who applied after their leave as a visitor or student had expired.
³ Includes also, inter alia, applications made by illegal entrants, cases with no documents, and cases where the immigration status is not known or not yet recorded.