Thread by @sam_bidwell

In recent years, asylum applications to the UK have skyrocketed - in 2023 alone, 84,425 people applied for asylum here.

But many of these applications come from safe, stable countries.

A 🧵 on some of the countries that the UK received asylum applications from in 2023...

First - the UK does not need to have an asylum system.

The system is designed to accommodate a small number of low-impact individuals from repressive or unstable countries.

It is not a tool for economic migration, or a means to escape criminal justice.

In 2023, the UK received 5,682 asylum applications from India 🇮🇳

India is widely regarded as a safe, stable, and democratic country. It is a key economic and diplomatic partner of the UK. Millions of foreign tourists visit India each year without incident.

In 2023, the UK received 4,542 asylum applications from Albania 🇦🇱

Albania is a safe, stable, European country. Though its democracy is imperfect, the country is widely regarded as democratic. There is no ongoing civil or political conflict in Albania.

In 2023, the UK received 4,419 asylum applications from Turkey 🇹🇷

Turkey is an imperfect democracy with a relatively high level of civil liberty. It is a key economic and military ally of the UK - in 2023, 3.8 million Britons visited Turkey, most without incident.

In 2023, the UK received 2,469 asylum applications from Vietnam 🇻🇳

Though undemocratic, Vietnam is a safe, stable country that hosts millions of foreign tourists each year. The UK is the only European country which accepts Vietnamese asylum applications.

In 2023, the UK received 2,198 asylum applications from Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

Though the country has suffered economic difficulties in recent years, Sri Lanka is a safe country with some degree of democracy. The country has been at peace since the end of its civil war in 2009.

In 2023, the UK received 2,175 asylum applications from Brazil 🇧🇷

Though Brazil suffers a high level of petty criminality, it is a stable and consistently democratic country with no ongoing civil or military conflicts. Millions of tourists visit Brazil each year.

In 2023, the UK received 1,408 asylum applications from Georgia 🇬🇪

Georgia is a safe, stable, and largely democratic country. It is home to a growing international tourist industry, and is rated as free or mostly free by the majority of international observers.

In 2023, the UK received 1,180 asylum applications from Namibia 🇳🇦

Namibia is one of the safest, most stable, and most democratic countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It has no ongoing civil or military unrest, and no ongoing conflicts.

In 2023, the UK received 627 asylum applications from Botswana 🇧🇼

Botswana is arguably the most stable and developed country in sub-Saharan Africa. It has had no coups, no civil wars, and no conflicts since independence in 1966. It is rated 'high' on the Human Development Index.

In 2023, the UK received 359 asylum applications from the Philippines 🇵🇭

Though an imperfect democracy, the Philippines is widely regarded as democratic - most of the country is safe and stable. The country is rated 'partly free' by Freedom House and it is highly developed.

In 2023, the UK received 353 asylum applications from Trinidad & Tobago 🇹🇹

The Caribbean island nation is safe, stable, and democratic. It is one of the most developed countries in the Americas, and has no outstanding civil or military unrest.

In 2023, the UK received 352 asylum applications from Morocco 🇲🇦

Though an imperfect democracy, most Moroccans enjoy a high degree of social and political freedom. The country is relatively safe and stable, barring the low-level conflict in Western Sahara.

In 2023, the UK received 344 asylum applications from Malaysia 🇲🇾

Though an imperfect democracy, Malaysia is widely regarded as relatively safe, stable, and democratic. It is well-developed, and a close economic partner of the UK.

It gets weirder.

In 2023, the UK received 413 asylum applications from members of the European Union 🇪🇺

This includes 126 applications from Poland, 61 applications from Romania, 45 applications from Hungary, and 34 applications from the Czech Republic 🇵🇱🇷🇴🇭🇺🇨🇿

And there are also a number of applications from other safe, stable, democratic countries.

This includes 104 from the United States 🇺🇸, 57 from Jamaica 🇯🇲, 18 from Chile 🇨🇱, 9 from Singapore 🇸🇬, 8 from Canada 🇨🇦, and 7 from Japan 🇯🇵

Plainly, our asylum system is not working.

The UK receives thousands of spurious applications from safe, stable, democratic countries on an annual basis - one might reasonably question the motives behind these applications.

If the UK Government wants to continue offering asylum status, it should massively expand the list of countries considered 'safe' by default, and outright ban applications from other developed Western countries.

Why is taxpayer resource being spent on processing these claims?

This is plainly absurd.

If you want to check out these figures yourself, you can find them at the link below.

It's the 'Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets, year ending June 2024' dataset.

gov.uk/government/sta…