Statistics: Evidence presented on Migration Statistics to the Public Administration Select Committee

The following information has recently been circulated via the Migration Statistics User Forum Jiscmail discussion list*.

The Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) is examining the topic of migration statistics, as part of a programme of work on statistics and their use in government.  The written and oral evidence which was  presented to the committee has now been made available for download from the Migration Statistics section of the PASC website, available here.

Details include both written and oral evidence as outlined below:

The Committee is undertaking a programme of work on statistics and their use in government by means of a series of ten studies. One of these studies looks at migration statistics.

Written Evidence

Issues and questions paper

Written evidence ( PDF 796 KB)

Oral Evidence

24 April 2013

• Parliament TV: watch 24 April meeting

Witnesses: Dr Scott Blinder, Director, The Migration Observatory, Councillor Philippa Roe, Leader, Westminster City Council, and Professor John Salt, Co-Director, Migration Research Unit, University College London

Jon Simmons and Chris Kershaw, Home Office, Guy Goodwin and Ben Humberstone, Office for National Statistics.

Further background information can be found here:-  PASC to take evidence on Migration statistics.  On this page, the purpose of the inquiry is outlined as being:

The purpose of the inquiry: to assess the quality of migration statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics and the Home Office. Are they sufficiently accurate, detailed, meaningful and timely for the purposes to which they are put? The Committee will take evidence from three users of official migration statistics, who can describe the statistics’ current strengths and weaknesses as well as those aspects of the statistics they would like to see improve. The second part of the session will give Committee the opportunity to question the producers of migration statistics, who can talk about recent developments in the production of migration statistics and options for their improvement in future.

* The Migration Statistics User Forum Jiscmail discussion list is available to join here and aims to:

This is a forum for discussion of migration statistics that allows users to discuss their need for and use of the data and for producers to consult on presentation and changes. The main focus will be on figures for the United Kingdom, but this would not exclude discussion of migration statistics for other countries. In order to meet these objectives, members are encouraged to post discussions, respond to other users as appropriate and post their own proposals and publications.

 

BSPS Event: Emigration – Don’t leave me this way?

BSPS circulation. Please help BSPS to publicise this forthcoming day meeting to non-members. A PDF flyer is attached for convenience.

This day meeting is free and open to all (members and non-members), but pre-registration is requested by emailing the BSPS Secretariat at pic@lse.ac.uk. Places are limited and early registration is recommended. Full directions will be sent to those registered in advance of the meeting.

A PDF flyer is also available – [BSPS-Emigration-Day-Meeting_16 May2013_ Programme].

Emigration – Don’t leave me this way?

A BSPS day meeting: Thursday 16 May 2013

Graham Wallas Room, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE

Chair –Professor Tony Champion, Vice-President, British Society for Population Studies,

10:30 – 11:00 – Registration

11:00 – 11: 40 – Trends in emigration: what do the official data show?

Joanna Wroe, Office for National Statistics

11:40 – 12:20 – Brits into Frenchmen? British emigration to France since the late 1980s

Dr Susan Collard, Senior Lecturer in French Politics and Contemporary European Studies, University of Sussex and Helen Drake, Professor of French and European Studies, Loughborough University.

12:20 – 13:00 – Understanding British emigrants: the view from ethnography

Dr Michaela Benson, Lecturer in Sociology, University of York and Karen O’Reilly Professor of Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, Loughborough University.

13:00 – 14:00 – Lunch (not provided)

14:00 – 14:40 – Returning from Spain?

Dr Kelly Hall, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, School of Social Sciences, University of Northampton

14:40 – 15:20 – A model-based approach for estimating international emigration for Local Authorities

Brian Foley, Office for National Statistics

15:20 – 15:50 – Break (tea & coffee provided for all)

15:50 – 16:30 – The policy implications of emigration from the UK: target and uncertainty

Carlos Vargas-Silva, Senior Researcher, Migration Observatory, University of Oxford.

16:30 – 17:00 – Panel Discussion & Close

 

BSPS Secretariat
POR.2.01
London School of Economics
Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
www.bsps.org.uk
020 7955 7666

 

Latest Migration Statistics Published and Associated Media Links

Both the UK Home Office and the UK Office for National Statistics have published new statistical publications today.

Home Office Publications
(Source: Home Office Science and the Migration Statistics listserv).

The following have been posted by Home Office Science:

• Immigration Statistics, October – December 2012
• Monthly asylum application tables – December 2012
• Children entering detention held solely under Immigration Act powers January 2013

Source: Home Office – http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/net-migration-feb-28

For enquiries about the contents of publications or the research and statistics produced by HOS, please contact public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Home Office’s Immigration Statistics October – December 2012 release, has been published today, it provides the latest figures on those subject to immigration control.  A notable change introduced with this release is that our entry clearance visa applications, resolutions, issues and refusals back to 2005 have been provided on a quarterly, rather than annual, basis in new tables be.01.q (by category) and be.02.q (by nationality) as well as new quarterly data by category by nationality in tables be.06.q.w to be.06.q.o.

This edition also contains a short article about ‘Foreign National Offenders in detention and leaving detention’ (see http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/foreign-national-offenders-13), this article sets out differences in detention periods between offenders and other detainees held in UKBA detention. This ‘short article’ is intended as additional analysis of our data to assist users in understanding the figures. We plan in future to publish further articles on a range of topics to assist users to better interpret immigration statistics.

ONS Publications

(Source:  Office for National Statistics and the Migration Statistics listserv).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today, Thursday 28th February 2013, published the Migration Statistics Quarterly Report (MSQR). The report can be accessed from the following link:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/migration-statistics-quarterly-report/february-2013/index.html

The MSQR series brings together statistics on migration that are published quarterly by the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), ONS, and the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

ONS have also released a report looking at the quality and reliability of the International Passenger Survey (IPS) in relation to producing estimates of long-term migration flows. The report was originally released in November 2012, but now contains some updated information. It can be accessed from the following link:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/population-and-migration/international-migration-methodology/international-passenger-survey-quality-information-in-relation-to-migration-flows.pdf

We would welcome any comments on any of our products. Please contact migstatsunit@ons.gov.uk with any comments.

Associated Media Links

UK Home Office – Net migration continues to fall

The Guardian – Net migration to UK drops to 163,000

The Independent – Net immigration into Britain falls ‘significantly’

The Daily Telegraph – Net migration falls by a third

The Daily Telegraph – Fall in overseas students driving down net migration

BBC News – UK net migration falls by a third

The Huffington Post – Net Migration

The Daily Express – Winning the battle on immigration: Number of migrants staying in UK falls by a third

The Mail Online – The broken pledges of immigration: Coalition promised to cut net migration to under 100,000. Yesterday, it hit 252,000

New Publications on Dungavel House; Remittances; Statelessness; and UK Migration Statistics

Report on an unannounced short follow-up inspection of Dungavel House
Immigration Removal Centre, 31 July – 2 August 2012.
Report by the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons.
[Download Full Report](Source: HM Chief Inspector of Prisons)

Remittances and Portfolio Values: An Inquiry Using Spanish Immigrants from Africa, Europe and the Americas
by Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes, Susan Pozo, (June 2012).

Using a recent Spanish database, we show that remittances respond to cross country differences in portfolio values. This behavior suggests that immigrants are sophisticated economic optimizers who take advantage of opportunities to invest trans-nationally given the networks that immigrants are likely to have developed both in their host and home communities. The responsiveness to portfolio variables persists whether immigrants are highly or less highly educated. However, there are differences in the individual portfolio variables to which immigrants from various regions of the world respond to, as we would expect given migrants’ diverse backgrounds and motives for emigrating. Additionally, remitting patterns change over time with the length of the migration spell, suggesting that remittances sent for portfolio motives become more likely as the immediate needs of family left back home are addressed and immigrants settle down in their host communities.

[Download Discussion Paper No. 6622]
(Source:  IZA – Shaping the Future of Labor).

On 1 October 2012, UNHCR launched its first E-Learning Course on Statelessness.  One component of the E-Learning Course is a Self-Study Module on Statelessness which is available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/50b899602.html  The Self-Study Module on Statelessness can also be accessed at under the Tools  heading on the Statelessness Special Features page, which can be located on the Refworld landing page.
(Source: UNHCR)

UK Home Office Immigration Statistics July – September 2012.
Produced by the UK Home Office.
From the Summary Points Quarter 3 2012, selected points include:

• Work: There were fewer work-related visas issued (-4% to 145,604, the lowest recorded using comparable data) and fewer grants of work-related permissions to stay permanently (-5% to 65,310). However there was an increase in work-related grants to extend stay in the UK (10% to 142,443).
• Study: There were 29% fewer sponsored student visa applications and similarly there were 26% fewer study visas issued. There was a 1% increase in sponsored student visa applications for the university sector, contrasting with falls for the further education sector (- 67%), English language schools (-76%), and independent schools (-17%).
• Asylum: There were 20,838 asylum applications, 8% higher than the previous 12 months. This remains well below the peak number of asylum applications received in the year ending December 2002 (84,132).
• Detention: During the third quarter of 2012 (July to September), 48 children entered detention, lower than for the second quarter of 2012 (60). The number of children in detention for the third quarter of 2012 remains well below the peak in these figures for the third quarter of 2009 (322) using comparable data available from 2009.

Downloads Available Include:

• Statistical News Release: Immigration Statistics July – September 2012 (PDF file – 175kb)
• Pre-Release Access to the Immigration Statistics July – September 2012 (PDF file – 78kb)

(Source: UK Home Office)

Migration Statistics Quarterly Report November 2012.
Produced by the UK Office for National Statistics, (ONS).
[Download Full Report]
(Source: Migration Statistics Jiscmail List).

International Passenger Survey: Quality Information in Relation to Migration Flows.
Produced by the UK Office for National Statistics, (ONS).
[Download Full Report]
(Source: Migration Statistics Jiscmail List).

New Publications on Europe; Afghanistan; Statistics; and STHF Cayley House

Publications on Europe

Migrant minorities mismatch?

Migrants, minorities, mismatch? Skill mismatch among migrants
and ethnic minorities in Europe.
Research Paper No. 16.
Produced by Cedefop — European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training.

This report aims to increase our understanding of mismatch, and its impacts, among migrants and ethnic minorities in Europe. It reviews relevant international literature on the topic and looks at various aspects of labour-market performance of these groups. The focus is an empirical investigation of skill mismatch based on the European social survey. Important findings are, first, that migrants from outside the EU are disproportionately affected by overeducation, while ethnic minorities are affected by undereducation. Second, overeducation is higher in countries with low rates of training and a lower proportion of skilled workers while undereducation is lower where the incidence of training is higher. [...]

[Download Full Report]
(Source: EU Bookshop)

Interoperability of mobile devices for crisis management: Outcomes of the 1st JRC ECML Crisis Technology Workshop on Mobile Interoperability for International Field Deployment, 12-13 March 2012.
Corporate author(s): European Commission, Joint Research Centre.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: EU Bookshop)

Women, peace and security

Women, peace and security: The European Union in action.
Corporate author(s): Council of the European Union, General Secretariat of the Council.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: EU Bookshop)

Publications on Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Development progress
and prospects after 2014. Sixth Report of Session 2012–13.
Volume I: Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence; and :
Volume II: Additional written evidence.
Both volumes produced by the House of Commons International Development Committee.

The future of Afghanistan is uncertain. There will be changes in its leadership, the withdrawal of international forces and a reduction in total overseas aid. It is not known what attitude neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan, will take. The Taliban is stronger in many parts of Afghanistan than it was when our predecessor Committee visited the country in 2007. Despite these uncertainties we believe the UK should have a major aid budget in the country. We have an obligation to the millions of Afghans who have resisted the Taliban and the British soldiers who have died in the country…

[Download Volume I] and [Download Volume II]
(Source: DocuBase]

Publications on Statistics

Immigration Statistics April – June 2012.
Third edition.
Published by the UK Home Office.
Downloads:

• Statistical News Release: Immigration Statistics April – June 2012 (PDF file – 125kb)
• Pre-Release Access to the Immigration Statistics April – June 2012 (PDF file – 90kb)

(Source: Home Office).

Publications on STHF Cayley House

Report on an unannounced follow-up inspection of the non-residential short term holding facility at: Cayley House, 9–10 July 2012
by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: HM Chief Inspector of Prisons).

 

New Publications on Humanitarian Action; UNHCR Statistics; Travel Documents; Rwanda; Serbia; Mexico;

Tools for the job: Supporting Principled Humanitarian Action

Tools for the job: Supporting Principled Humanitarian Action.
A new report co-published by the Norwegian Refugee Council with the Overseas Development Institute’s Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG)..

Based on case studies conducted in Afghanistan, the DRC, Pakistan and South Sudan, this timely report analyses some of the challenges to principled humanitarian action from the perspectives of NGOs and donors. It examines hurdles and opportunities that humanitarian organisations face when trying to adhere to the principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality, especially in terms of funding.

The report lists several concrete recommendations for humanitarian organisations and donors, including establishing common NGO-positions on what constitutes principled humanitarian action and funding, and adopting safeguards to avoid humanitarian aid being instrumentalised as part of political and military strategies.

The report is part of a wider “Strengthening Principled Humanitarian Response Capacities”, project supported by ECHO and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will culminate in a high-level conference in Brussels on 4th December 2012 entitled ‘Principles into Practice; Safeguarding Principled Humanitarian Action’.

[Download Full Report]
(Source: Norwegian Refugee Council – New report on Principled Humanitarian Action).

UNHCR – Asylum Levels and Trends in Industrialized Countries, First Half 2012: Statistical Overview of Asylum Applications Lodged in Europe and Selected Non-European Countries.
Produced by the UNHCR Statistics Division.
[Download Statistics]
(Source: UNHCR).

Guide for Issuing Machine Readable Convention Travel Documents
for Refugees and Stateless Persons.
Produced by the UNHCR.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: UNHCR).

What happens after the war? how refugee camp peace programmes
contribute to post-conflict peacebuilding strategies.
UNHCR New Issues in Refugee Research: Research Paper No. 245.
By Jane Elizabeth Lawson.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: UNHCR).

UNHCR Rwanda Refugee Bulletin No.VI, (June – August 2012).
Produced by UNHCR Rwanda.
[Download Full Bulletin]
(Source: UNHCR).

After Belvil: Serbia needs new laws against forced eviction.
Report by Amnesty International.
[Access Report]
(Source: AI Press Release – Serbia: Belvil forced eviction highlights need for new laws).

Abusers known, victims ignored: Torture and ill treatment in Mexico.
Report by Amnesty International.
[Access Report]
(Source: AI Press Release – Mexico: Authorities urged to end torture epidemic).

Foreign Affairs Committee - Third Report : The FCO’s human rights work in 2011.
The latest annual publication from the UK Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee.
[Access Report]
(Source: Press Release – Foreign Affairs Committee publishes report on human rights).

 

Statistics: UNHCR: Asylum Data in 44 Industrialized Countries, First Half 2012

*** Apologies for Cross Posting ***

News from the UNHCR Statistics Division:

Dear Sir/Madam,

This is to inform you that the latest statistics on asylum applications lodged in industrialized countries have been published today and are available from the UNHCR statistics website at www.unhcr.org/statistics. The data covers the first half of 2012 in comparison to the first half of 2011.

Key findings

A.  An estimated 212,600 asylum applications were recorded during the first six months of 2012 in the 44 industrialized countries included in the dataset. This is nearly identical to the same period 2011 (210,100), but lower (-8%) to the number of applications recorded during the second half of 2011 (231,300 claims).

B. The 38 countries in Europe received 149,400 claims during the first six months of 2012. This is a decrease of 4 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2011 (155,500 claims), and significantly less than the second semester of 2011 (171,900 claims). Europe accounted for seven out of ten of all claims lodged among the industrialized countries.

C. The 27 Member States of the European Union registered 123,300 asylum claims in the first half of 2012, 9 per cent less than in the first six months of 2011 (135,000). The EU-27 together accounted for 83 per cent of all asylum claims in Europe.

D. With an estimated 42,800 asylum applications, the United States of America was the largest single recipient of new asylum claims among the group of industrialized countries. This figure was 6,100 claims more than during the first half of 2011. France was second with 25,400 asylum applications (-1,500 claims), followed by Germany (22,500; +1,800 claims), Sweden (16,300; +3,700 claims), and Switzerland (12,800; +4,300 claims). The top five receiving countries together accounted for more than half (56%) of all asylum claims received in the countries included in this dataset.

E.  With 16,300 asylum claims lodged by Afghans in the first half of 2012, Afghanistan was the most significant source country of asylum-seekers of all of the 44 industrialized countries, followed by China (12,400 claims), Pakistan (10,000 claims), Iraq (8,900 claims), and the Islamic Republic of Iran (8,400). Persons from these five countries together accounted for 56,000 applications, or about one quarter (27%) of all asylum claims submitted in industrialized countries.

F. Among the main nationalities seeking asylum, those originating from the Syrian Arab Republic showed the highest relative increase. During the first half of 2012, some 6,500 Syrians requested international protection among the industrialized countries, up from 3,000 during the first half 2011.

G. A new system for registering asylum-seekers (INDIGO) is currently being implemented in the Netherlands. As a consequence, the information available is limited to the total number of asylum applications lodged between January and June 2012 (4,620). No information on the country of origin is available. The analysis of the country of origin of asylum applications should thus be considered as indicative only.

Sincerely,

Tarek Abou Chabake
Senior Statistician
Field Information & Coordination Support Section UNHCR Geneva
16 October 2012

New Publications on Durable Solutions in Kosovo; EU Statistics; Urban Refugees; and Urban Settings

Eurostat regional yearbook 2012

Kosovo: Durable solutions still elusive 13 years after conflict.
Published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, (IDMC).

The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kosovo has dropped slightly in recent years. A September 2012 estimate by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) put the figure at 17,900, compared with around 19,700 in 2009. Most ethnic Serb IDPs live in northern Kosovo, where they rely on a system of education, policing and health care services provided entirely by Serbia. Many others live in enclaves in areas where their ethnic group constitutes a majority, but where they often face restrictions on their freedom of movement and have little access to livelihoods and services.(…)

[Download Full Report]
(Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre).

European Union Labour Force Survey – Annual results 2011.

Basic figures on the EU

By the European Commission.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: DocuBase)

Eurostat regional yearbook 2012
By the European Commission.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: Eurostat)

European Social Statistics
By the European Commission.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: Eurostat).

European Social Statistics

Basic figures on the EU — Autumn 2012 edition
By the European Commission.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: Eurostat).

Moving from the ‘why’ to the ‘how’: reflections on humanitarian response in urban settings.
Article by Elena Lucchi (Médecins sans Frontières.)
[Download Article]
(Source: ALNAP)

“Forgotten,” “Hidden”: Predicaments of the Urban Refugee
Article by Phil Marfleet.
[Download Article]
(Source: ALNAP)

 

New Publications on Livelihoods; Immigration; Roma; British Social Attitudes; Statistics; Children; EASO; and Climate Change.

Livelihoods in protracted crises

Livelihoods in protracted crises.
Written by Simon Levine and published by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
[Download Full Report]
(Source: ODI).

Immigration and population growth in the UK
By the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration (UK).
[Download Full Report]
(Source: DocuBase)

Italy: On the edge: Roma, forced evictions and segregation in Italy.
By Amnesty International.
[Download Full Report]
(Source:  Amnesty International press release – Italy’s Roma still segregated and without prospects)

British Social Attitudes Survey29th edition 2012.
Editors: Alison Park, Elizabeth Clery, John Curtice, Miranda Phillips
and David Utting.  Produced by NetCen.
[Download Full Report]
- See also, specific section on attitudes to immigration: [British Social Attitudes Survey 29 - Immigration]
(Source: Guardian Online – British Social Attitudes Survey – how what we think and who thinks it has changed.)

Annual Mid-year Population: Estimates for England and Wales,
Mid 2011.
Produced by the Office for National Statistics.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: The Telegraph – Population growing by 1,000 a day, Office for National Statistics shows).

Into the unknown: Children’s journeys through the asylum process.
New report produced by The Children’s Society.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: The Telegraph – Children fleeing wars facing ‘culture of disbelief’ – charity.)

European Asylum Support Office Newsletter – September 2012.

EASO Newsletter

Produced by the European Asylum Support Office, (EASO).
[Access to Newsletter]
(Source: European Asylum Support Office, (EASO).).

‘Because I am a stranger’: Urban refugees in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
UNHCR New Issues in Refugee Research – Research Paper No. 244.
By Emily Mattheisen.
[Download Working Paper]
(Source: UNHCR)

Communicating Climate Change and Migration: A Report by the  UK Climate Change & Migration Coalition, (UKCCMC).
[Download Full Report]
(Source: UK Climate Change & Migration Coalition – New research investigates communicating climate change and migration).
See Also: Migrants’ Rights Network – Report: Communicating Climate Change and Migration

In the first report of its kind, analysis reveals that the media debate around climate change and migration has not yet become entrenched. The UK Climate Change and Migration Coalition, who carried out the research, have used the analysis to produce the first ever guidance for organisations on effectively communicating the complex connections between climate change and migration.

Both climate change and migration attract a significant degree of public and media attention. Together they represent a potentially explosive combination that could inflame already heated debates. The report released today argues that without a concerted effort to communicate the issues effectively the debate could be hijacked by political interests opposed to human rights and action on climate change.

 

Publication: Migration Statistics Quarterly Report published today

*** Apologies for Cross Posting ***

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today, Thursday 30th August 2012, published the Migration Statistics Quarterly Report (MSQR). The report can be accessed from the following link:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/migration-statistics-quarterly-report/august-2012/msqr.html

The MSQR series brings together statistics on migration that are published quarterly by the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), ONS, and the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

ONS have also released today a “Population by Country of Birth and Nationality Report”, that can be accessed from the following link:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/migration-statistics-quarterly-report/august-2012/population-by-country-of-birth-and-nationality.html

This report outlines the latest population estimates for the UK by country of birth and nationality up to the year ending December 2011. It also discusses how these figures have changed since 2004, both regionally and for the UK as a whole.

Finally, ONS have also released a new product, “The International Migration Timeline”, an easy to use, interactive product available on the Neighbourhood Statistics website that allows users to see a visual representation of international migration from 1964 to 2010. It allows users to see trends over time and compare migration data with unemployment rates, GDP, and mid year population estimates. It lists key events that may have had an impact on migration to and from the UK, as well as where migrants have come from, and where they are going to. Please click on the link below to see the timeline:

http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc37/migration.html

We would welcome any comments on the timeline, or any of our products. Please contact migstatsunit@ons.gov.uk with any comments.

Kind Regards,

The International Migration team
Migration Statistics Unit
ONS

UK Migration Statistics Published Today

*** Apologies for Cross Posting ***

The following message has been posted today on the UK Migration Statistics Jiscmail Discussion List.  Details are as follows:

Home Office’s Immigration Statistics April – June 2012 release, published today, provides the latest provisional figures on those subject to immigration control. It is available at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2012/

There have been several enhancements to the latest release. As well as modification to the main landing page to ease navigation there are also the following changes:

• Tables and commentary now provide revised categories for those departing the UK, separately identifying enforced removals and notified voluntary departures (previously combined).

• New tables (Before Entry topic) and commentary (Work topic) has been included about the sponsorship system, including numbers of sponsored employers on the UKBA register and use of Certificates of Sponsorship (used in applications for work-related visas and extensions).

• Historical data for 2010 has been added on grants of visas by category by nationality.

• Most of the tables of figures by nationality have been revised to separate out figures for those designated as “Stateless” and “Refugee”.

• For longer time series previous published in tables alongside the different topic briefings, figures for earlier periods are now available for some topic areas on the Migration Statistics historical datasets webpage.

Please email MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk if you have any queries regarding the immigration statistics publication.

The Migration Statistics Quarterly Report has also been published by the ONS at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/migration-statistics-quarterly-report/august-2012/msqr.html

 

New Publications on Bangladesh; UKBA; Undocumented Women; Understanding Society; and Syria

“The Fear Never Leaves Me”

“The Fear Never Leaves Me”: Torture, Custodial Deaths, and Unfair Trials after the 2009 Mutiny of the Bangladesh Rifles.
By the Human Rights Watch.

The 57-page report provides a detailed account of the mutiny and documents serious abuses in the aftermath, including torture by security forces of people in custody on suspicion of planning the mutiny, and of ongoing concerns about fair trial violations in mass trials of hundreds of suspects at a time. The notorious Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has allegedly been involved in many of the abuses.

[Download Full Report]
Human Rights Watch Press Release – Bangladesh: Torture, Deaths of Jailed Mutiny Suspects.
(Source: Human Rights Watch)

Monthly asylum application tables – April 2012.
Published by the UK Home Office.
[Access]
(Source: Memo Issue 313 – Access)

Children entering detention held solely under Immigration Act powers May 2012.
Produced by the UK Home Office.
[Access]
(Source: Memo Issue 313 – Access)

Strategies to End Double Violence Against Undocumented Women – Protecting Rights and Ensuring Justice.
Produced by The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants – PICUM.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: Memo Issue 313 – Access and Migrants’ Rights Network.)

Understanding Society: Findings 2012.
A new report edited by Stephanie L. McFall for the Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex.
[Download Full Report]
See Also News Story in The Guardian – Ethnic minorities in UK feel most British, research finds.
(Source: Memo Issue 313 – Access)

Torture Archipelago

Torture Archipelago: Arbitrary Arrests, Torture, and Enforced Disappearances in Syria’s Underground Prisons since March 2011.
By Human Rights Watch.

This report is based on more than 200 interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch since the beginning of anti-government demonstrations in Syria in March 2011. The report includes maps locating the detention facilities, video accounts from former detainees, and sketches of torture techniques described by numerous people who witnessed or experienced torture in these facilities.

Human Rights Watch called on the United Nations Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and to adopt targeted sanctions against officials credibly implicated in the abuses.

[Download Full Report]
Human Rights Watch Press Release -Syria: Torture Centers Revealed).
(Source: International Criminal Law Bureau – New report unveils systematic nature of torture in Syria).

 

New Publications on European Statistics; Europe; Age Assessment; Trafficking Legislation; Migration; Urban Refugees….

Age Assessment Practice Guidance

Asylum decisions in the EU27: EU Member States granted protection to 84 100 asylum seekers in 2011
Eurostat.
[Access]
(Source: Europa).

Third Annual Report on Immigration and Asylum.
European Commission.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: Europa).

Report on the Internal Review of Human Trafficking Legislation.
HM Government.
[Download Full Report]

UK Migration Controversies: A Simple Guide.
Royal Geographical Society.
[Download Full Report]

Public Sentiments Towards Immigration in Wales: New Ideas Social Research Fund.  Final Report for the Welsh Government.
By Dr Robin Mann and Dr Yvonne Tommis.
Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods.
[Download Full Report]

The work of the UK Border Agency (November 2010–March 2011):
Government Response to the Committee’s Ninth Report of Session 2010–12: First Special Report of Session 2012–13.
House of Commons, Home Affairs Committee.
[Download Full Report]

Statement of Intent: Family Migration.
UK Home Office.
[Download Full Report]

Immigration Statistics January – March 2012 – Summary of key facts.
UK Home Office.
[Access]

Age Assessment Practice Guidance An Age Assessment Pathway
for Social Workers in Scotland.
Produced by the Scottish Refugee Council.
[Download Full Report]

Age Assessment – Information Guide.
Produced by the Scottish Refugee Council.
[Download Full Report]

The Living Ain’t Easy: Urban Refugees in Kampala.
By Jina Krause-Vilmar for the Women’s Refugee Commission .
[Download Full Report]
(Source: ALNAP)

Internal Displacement in Nairobi: A Literature Review,
By the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: ALNAP)

 

New Publications on Egypt; the Arab Spring; Irregular Migrants in Cyprus; UNHCR Asylum Levels and Trends; Sudanese Refugee Womenv

Marginality and Exclusion in Egypt.
A new book by Ray Bush and Habib Ayeb and published by Zed Books.
[Further Details]
(Source: Zed Books).

The Arab Spring: The End of Postcolonialism
A new book by Hamid Dabashi and published by Zed Books.
[Further Information]
(Source: Zed Books).

Cyprus: Punishment without a crime: Detention of migrants and asylum seekers in Cyprus.
By Amnesty International.

‘’Detention should not be a tool for regulating migration. Cypriot authorities are wilfully violating International and European Union law when they detain irregular migrants without examining alternative measures and demonstrating that their detention is indeed necessary,” said Jezerca Tigani, Europe and Central Asia Deputy Programme Director at Amnesty International.

[Download Full Report]
(Source: Amnesty International)

UNHCR Asylum Levels and Trends in Industrialized Countries: Statistical overview of asylum applications lodged in Europe and selected non-European countries.
Produced by the UNHCR.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: UNHCR).

Frozen words: memory and sexual violence amongst Sudanese refugee women in Cairo.
New Issues  in Refugee Research - Research Paper No. 240.
By  Ginger A. Johnson.
[Download Working Paper]
(Source: UNHCR)

Improvements in Estimating Migration: Intelligence Update 12-2012.
Produced by the Greater London Authority Intelligence Unit.
[Download Report]
(Source: The Daily Telegraph -Migrant population in some parts of England double previous estimate).

 

UNHCR Release 2011 Global Trends Report

UNHCR Global Trends 2011

The Office for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has recently launched the latest edition of its annual statistical publication entitled, “Global Trends Report 2011: A Year of Crises.”

From the email circulr announcing the launach of the new report, the UNHCR detail some of the key findings of the report:

• In 2011, an estimated 4.3 million people were newly displaced due to conflict or persecution. More than 800,000 people were displaced as refugees across international borders, the highest number in more than a decade. Another 3.5 million people were newly displaced within the borders of their countries, a 20 per cent increase from 2010.

•  For the fifth consecutive year the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide exceeded 42 million, a result of persistent and new conflicts in different parts of the world. By the end of 2011, the figure stood at 42.5 million. Of these, 15.2 million were refugees: 10.4 million under UNHCR’s mandate, and 4.8 million Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA. The overall figure also included 895,000 asylum-seekers and 26.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

•  Of the world’s displaced, 25.9 million people – 10.4 million refugees and 15.5 million IDPs – were receiving protection or assistance from UNHCR at the end of 2011. This was 700,000 people more than in 2010.

•  By the end of 2011, UNHCR had identified some 3.5 million stateless persons in 64 countries. However, the Office estimated that the overall number of stateless persons worldwide could be far higher – about 12 million people.

•  Almost three quarters of the refugee population under the UNHCR mandate was in a protracted situation at the end of 2011, amounting to 7.1 million people.

•  Pakistan was host to the largest number of refugees worldwide (1.7 million), followed by the Islamic Republic of Iran (887,000) and the Syrian Arab Republic (755,400; Government estimate).

•  With close to 2.7 million refugees in 79 countries, Afghanistan remained the leading country of origin of refugees in 2011. On average, one out of four refugees in the world originated from Afghanistan.

•  532,000 refugees repatriated voluntarily during 2011, more than double the figure for 2010 (197,600). Yet, 2011 saw the third lowest number of voluntarily repatriated refugees in a decade. More than 3.2 million IDPs were able to return – the highest number in more than a decade.

•  More than 876,000 people submitted individual applications for asylum or refugee status in 2011. UNHCR offices registered 11 per cent of these claims. With close to 107,000 asylum claims, South Africa was the world’s largest recipient of individual applications.

[Download Full Report]
(Source: UNHCR Statistics website – www.unhcr.org/statistics).