Various newspapers have today carried reports that two men have been charged with people smuggling after a boat carrying 18 Albanian nationals was rescued off the Kent coast. For context, below is data from the Home Office on the outcome of asylum applications lodged by Albanian nationals.
In the past, Home Office data shows that asylum applications from Albanian nationals have quite low success rates. Cohort analysis shows that in the last seven years for which data is available (2008-2014) just 10% of asylum applicants have been granted asylum with an additional 21% granted some form of protection (humanitarian protection, discretionary leave or ‘other grants’).
Just over half of all applicants had a negative outcome; that is that they were either denied asylum or withdrew their application.
However, of the 2,389 applicants who had a negative outcome, just 1,337 (or 56%) left the country (including both enforced removals and voluntary departures) while 44% remain. Therefore there are 1,052 Albanian nationals who have been denied asylum however have not left the country.
See below for a table of the outcome of Albanian asylum applications from 2008 to 2014. See here for Table as_06: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525625/asylum2-q1-2016-tabs.ods
| Outcome of Asylum Applications from Albanian Nationals 2008-2014 | |||
| Number | % of Applications | % of Refusals | |
| Applications | 4,653 | – | |
| Total Positive | 1,449 | 31% | – |
| Of which: Positive Asylum | 486 | 10% | – |
| Of which: Positive HP/DL/Other | 963 | 21% | – |
| Negative (Refused or Withdrawn) | 2,389 | 51% | – |
| Unknown Outcome | 815 | 18% | – |
| Departed | 1,337 | – | 29% |
| Of which: Enforced Removals | 1,036 | – | 22% |
| Of which: Voluntary Departures | 301 | – | 6% |