Thousands of asylum seekers unaccounted for

UP to 5,500 people who are claiming asylum are not living in the state-provided accommodation centres where asylum seekers are expected to reside, and so fall outside official figures.

According to figures obtained by the Irish Examiner, there are approximately 11,500 cases awaiting processing in the lengthy and complex legal system around asylum – and not just the 6,000-plus who live at the state-funded centres.

Under Department of Justice rules, asylum seekers are not allowed to seek alternative accommodation in the private rented sector.

http://irishexaminer.com/ireland/thousands-of-asylum-seekers-unaccounted-for-129281.html#ixzz0y6rzNKQx

Review ordered for asylum seekers

IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES have ordered a review into the cases of asylum seekers who are waiting five years or more to receive a final decision on their application to continue living in the State.

The review could benefit about 100 people who have been living in direct provision accommodation centres since 2005. It may be extended to a couple of hundred other asylum seekers, who choose to live outside the centres.

Officials at the Department of Justice have told non-governmental organisations (NGOs) the review is not an amnesty, although it is being undertaken with a view to granting leave to remain to people living here longer than five years.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0804/1224276148264.html

Parents forced to seek asylum for Irish-born children

IRISH-BORN children only a few months old are being individually placed in the asylum process despite never having left Ireland.

The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) is to raise the issue, which is leading to significant delays in the asylum process, with the Department of Justice.

The individual designation of young children born in their resident state as asylum seekers deviates from best practice in other EU states, where children are treated as family dependents.

http://irishexaminer.com/ireland/parents-forced-to-seek-asylum-for-irish-born-children-125617.html#ixzz0uFoGg01H

New immigration Bill published

The Government has today published a new immigration Bill which will allow for the fast-tracking of deportations.

The Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2010 replaces earlier legislation which was to be redrafted this year.

Among the provisions included in the new Bill, which is expected to be introduced before autumn, is the fast-tracking of asylum procedures and appeals.

The new Bill has a provision enabling the Minister for Justice to disregard so-called "marriage of conveniences," where individuals have been found to have married so that one or both of them can stay in the country.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0702/breaking60.html

Asylum rate near lowest in Europe

ASYLUM seekers are less likely to be granted refugee status or other form of protection in Ireland than almost anywhere else in Europe, according to new EU figures.

The report shows that Ireland has one of the worst records in the EU for granting asylum to refugees. Just 4% of asylum seekers here were granted protection last year – the second lowest rate of any of the 27 EU countries. Only Greece has a poorer record, with just 1% of applicants being granted asylum there.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/asylum-rate-near-lowest-in-europe-122993.html#ixzz0rWVHE22e

Concern over refusal of refugees

THE Irish Refugee Council said a study needed to be carried out to see why Ireland accepted so few asylum seekers, writes Shane Hickey.

It said just 4pc of those who applied here for refugee status here were given the go-ahead.

Yesterday, the agency marked World Refugee Day with a number of events in Dublin.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/concern-over-refusal-of-refugees-2227342.html

Asylum backlog cost at least €26m last year

MORE than 2,300 of the country's asylum seekers in full-time accommodation have been in the system for more than three years.

The incredibly slow pace of progress in clearing the backlog of applications cost at least €26m last year, just to provide bed and board.

The Department of Justice has said new legislation to tackle the growing length of time involved in dealing with applications will be enacted shortly.

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2010/may/30/at-least-2300-asylum-seekers-in-system-for-more-th/

75% of applications for asylum here rejected

THE GOVERNMENT rejected three-quarters of the 4,040 asylum applications it considered last year, which is slightly higher than the average rejection rate in the EU.

Some 1,030 people were given positive decisions, providing them with the legal right to remain in the Republic. The vast majority of successful applicants (885) were allowed to stay in the country for humanitarian reasons, such as having an Irish citizen child. Some 105 people got refugee status and 40 people were awarded subsidiary protection, according to the EU statistics agency, Eurostat

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0505/1224269734936.html

Deportation rate doubles for failed asylum seekers

THE deportation rate for failed asylum seekers almost doubled in the past year, new figures show.

This resulted in a total of 236 deportations to non-EU countries in 2009, compared with 129 in the previous year.

Figures published officially today also show that an additional 202 failed asylum seekers, who would otherwise have been removed from the State, opted for help in returning home voluntarily.

And another 243 asylum applicants were transferred to other European states after being caught "asylum shopping", where they seek status as a refugee in two or more countries.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/deportation-rate-doubles-for-failed-asylum-seekers-2004667.html

Asylum applications at lowest level in 10 years

ASYLUM applications to Ireland have plunged to their lowest levels in over a decade amid a crackdown by immigration authorities.

The number of people looking for refuge is now at levels not seen since the late 1990s, and officials are also attributing this to the collapse in the economy. The drop in 2009, the year in which the recession hit hardest, was 35pc from 2008 levels.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/asylum-applications-at-lowest-level-in-10-years-1990771.html

Number of asylum seekers falls

THE NUMBER of Nigerians seeking asylum here dropped by 50% this year compared to 2008, latest figures from the Department of Justice show.

Overall, the numbers seeking asylum dropped by 40% year on year but Nigeria still provides the highest number of asylum seekers.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2009/1205/ireland/number-of-asylum-seekers-falls-107212.html#ixzz0ZJk3JAJD

Asylum 'shoppers' deported over scam

One-in-10 asylum seekers who arrived here this year have been deported to other EU member states because they were 'shopping' for benefits.

The extent of the racket was revealed last night after a week-long operation targeting the asylum 'shoppers' -- so-called because they shop around for better benefit deals between various EU countries.

The recent crackdown by the Garda National Immigration Bureau and the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service resulted in the arrest and deportation of 22 people, mainly Somalians, Albanians and Eritreans.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/asylum-shoppers--deported-over-scam-1934607.html

Asylum seekers posed as Somalis

IMMIGRATION authorities have uncovered a scam involving African asylum seekers, who claim to be from Somalia.

Three out of five were found to have lied about their background.

The applicants are posing as Somalis to boost their chances of being granted refugee status because they are less likely to be deported back to the war-torn country.

But a check on the background of a targeted group over the past six months has established that the majority of them were from neighbouring countries. The check was carried out using the Eurodac fingerprint system and visa databases established in the UK.

The nationality breakdown of the 'Somali' asylum seekers showed that 44 -- or two-fifths of the original batch -- were from Tanzania, eight from Somalia, six from Kenya, three from Yemen, and one each from Ethiopia and Djibouti.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/asylum-seekers-posed-as-somalis-1910835.html

7000 asylum-seekers currently in the system cost €800 per week each

Currently, there are approximately 7,000 asylum-seekers at various stages of the application process in the system. Almost 5,000 are at first instance and appeal stage.

Fine Gael’s Denis Naughton said, despite improvements to the system, there was still a "significant backlog" and applications were taking a long time. He said a substantial part of the delay in processing asylum applications results from delays in processing leave to remain applications.

"While I accept they are complex, based on the current rate of processing, it would take approximately five years to clear the existing backlog of such applications. Is the minister of the view that this is unacceptable, particularly in light of the fact that €800 per week is spent on the court, accommodation, processing and deportation costs of each asylum applicant?"

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/integration-boss-hits-back-at-aherns-90-unfounded-asylum-claim-91579.html

Asylum seekers to Ireland double the EU average

IRELAND remains a popular country for people seeking asylum, especially Nigerians, according to EU figures just released.

When compared to the population, Ireland attracted the eighth highest percentage of people from outside the EU seeking asylum.

This was double the EU average, but well less than countries like Malta and Cyprus, which take the brunt of people trying to get into Europe from Africa in particular.

A total of 3,865 people applied for asylum, with the single largest group – 26% or 1,010 people – coming from Nigeria.

The next single largest groups were 6% (235) from Pakistan and 5% (205) from Iraq.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/asylum-seekers-to-ireland-double-the-eu-average-91312.html

Ireland among slowest in Europe to grant refugee status

The Irish rate of granting refugee status to asylum seekers is well below the EU average, it was claimed today.

As Pamela Izevbekhai’s high-profile deportation battle continues in the courts, latest figures reveal Ireland ranks 18th out of Europe’s 27 countries for allowing asylum.

The Irish Refugee Council study backs up Government plans for a radical overhaul of the refugee system, which would see applications for various types of protection considered together under one system.

Robin Hanan, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, said the single procedure needs to be well organised.

The report – The Single Protection Procedure – A chance for change – reveals Ireland’s rate of granting asylum stood at just 9.3% in 2006, compared with the EU average of 22.3%.

Some 3,866 people applied for asylum in Ireland in 2008, with a gradual fall year on year since the peak of 2002 when 11,634 applied to come.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/eyaueyqlgbkf/

European court ruling clarifies asylum law

PEOPLE FLEEING violence and seeking safety in the European Union do not have to prove that their lives are specifically under threat if they come from a sufficiently dangerous country, the European Court of Justice has ruled.

In an important clarification of European asylum law, the court yesterday decided that people seeking “subsidiary protection” because they fear for their life at home do not have to prove they have been personally targeted, if their country is seen as sufficiently dangerous.

Under exceptional circumstances, applicants can be allowed to stay in the EU because indiscriminate violence is so common in their home country that they would be in danger if they stayed.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0218/1224241331606.html

More judges to process asylum seekers' cases

EXTRA judges will be involved in a major push to clear a huge backlog of cases dealing with asylum seekers and other immigrants seeking residency.

From next week, five High Court judges will be dedicated full time to hearing the cases -- compared to one lone judge who has been handling the heavy workload.

Currently, there is a backlog of 780 cases waiting to be heard, with an extra 17 cases joining the case list each week.

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/more-judges-to-process-asylum-seekers-cases-1592381.html

70% of asylum seekers already have UK history

SEVEN out of 10 applicants for asylum here already have an immigration history in the UK. Unpublished end-of-year statistics also revealed that 1,000 bogus asylum seekers have left the State in the past year.

The end-of-year total represents a 23pc increase on the corresponding figure for 2007.

A breakdown of the statistics into categories of asylum applicants shows that :

- 491 of them were children between the ages of three months and three years and many of those claims were not lodged until the parents' applications had been turned down and they were facing deportation.

- 250 applications were lodged from behind prison bars.

- More than 250 applicants were found, through the Eurodac fingerprint database, to have already made claims in another EU country.

- Over 600 made asylum claims after they had already been in the State for more than six months.

- 70pc of all asylum applicants had an immigration history in the UK and this amounted to 600 people in 2008.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/70pc-of-asylum-seekers-already-have-uk-history-1592109.html

Asylum applications down 3%

The number of people seeking asylum has dropped to its lowest level since the mid-nineties, the Government said today.

Applications were down a further 3% last year to 3,866, continuing a sliding trend since a peak of 11,634 refugee applications in 2002.Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said a review of the asylum process to cut out abuse of the system was behind the decrease.

“I welcome the fact that the annual trend in asylum applications continues to fall, which I believe is a reflection of the ongoing implementation of strategies aimed at combating abuse of the asylum process and the streamlining of its procedures,” he said.

The top five countries where applicants came from were Nigeria (26.1%), Pakistan (6.1%), Iraq (5.3%), Georgia (4.7%) and China (4.7%).

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhsnmhkfcwql/