Further Steps to Cut Asylum Abuse

Mongolia, Ghana and Nigeria are to be added to the list of designated countries as part of the Government’s continuing drive to prevent failed asylum seekers using the appeals process to frustrate their removal from the UK.

All asylum and human rights applicants from Mongolia whose claims are refused and certified as clearly unfounded will soon have no right of appeal in the UK before removal. The same rules will apply to male applicants with unfounded claims from Ghana and Nigeria.

Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said:

“The Government is committed to providing a safe-haven to genuine refugees and others who require our protection. However, we are determined to continue work to tackle abuse of our asylum system.

“The introduction of a list of designated countries has resulted in a significant cut in the number of asylum applicants from these countries. By adding three countries to the list we can further prevent failed asylum-seekers from attempting to frustrate their removal from the UK by unnecessarily prolonging the appeals process.

“We are pleased to designate Mongolia and believe that the addition of Ghana and Nigeria for men only is a positive step reflecting the real improvements to the human rights situation in these countries. However, we rightly recognise that further work in this area is required before the legal test for designation in respect of women can be met.

“We will of course continue to make all decisions on a case by case basis but it is only right that if an asylum-seeker does not require our protection they should return home when it is safe to do so.”