Iranians were the largest asylum seekers in Britain

A recent report by the UK Office for National Statistics on migration to the country in 2015 shows that Iranian citizens have submitted the highest number of asylum applications compared to citizens of other countries.

According to these statistics, the number of Iranians who filed for asylum in Britain nearly doubled compared to 2014, reaching 4,811 people.

After Iran, citizens of Pakistan, Iraq, and Eritrea have been the largest asylum seekers to Britain.

Afghanistan ranks fifth with 3,133 asylum seekers who have formally submitted their asylum applications according to legal procedures. The number of Afghan asylum seekers has also nearly doubled compared to 2014.

According to the UK Office for National Statistics, 49 percent of Iranians who applied for asylum have either had their applications approved or have been granted some form of support provisions.

This figure is 34 percent for Afghan citizens and 16 percent for Iraqi asylum applicants, which is roughly one-third of the Iranian figure.

The European Union

According to the UK Office for National Statistics, the net migration figure to the country in 2015 reached 333,000 people, which showed a slight increase compared to the previous year.

This figure is more than three times the target set by the British government (100,000 people).

The net migration figure in this report refers to the number of people who have migrated to Britain for at least one year minus the number of people who have left Britain.

The latest figures were released ahead of Britain’s referendum on deciding whether to remain in or leave the European Union.

According to these statistics, net migration of EU citizens to Britain was approximately 184,000 people.

The British government says it remains committed to its pledge to reduce the number of migrants and that leaving the European Union is not an appropriate solution to this issue.

However, opponents of Britain remaining in the European Union have warned, citing these figures, that migration has gotten out of control and that remaining in Europe means a permanent “farewell” to migration controls.

Source: BBC Persian