Afghans were the top nationality among small boat arrivals in 2023 The number of Afghans arriving in the UK without authorisation rose substantially after the Taliban takeover in the summer of 2021, with most using small boats to cross the English Channel (Figure 2). [...] The South East, London, and the West Midlands received the most people under the Afghan schemes Under the humanitarian visa schemes for Afghans, the largest number of people were housed in the South East of England (13%), London (10%), and the West Midlands (8%). [...] Resettlements were relatively uniform across the country, especially compared to the distribution of the pre-existing Afghan diaspora in the UK – at the time of the 2021 Census, 56% of the Afghan-born population in England and Wales was living in London. [...] UK PAGE 9 BRIEFING: Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK Figure 6 The share of people resettled under the Afghan schemes living in temporary accommodation fell from 38% to 12% in the year to 30 June 2024 Temporary accommodation – termed interim or transitional in official statistics – has been used to house people arriving in the UK under the Afghan schemes. [...] UK PAGE 14 BRIEFING: Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK The Migration Observatory Based at the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford, the Migration Observatory provides independent, authoritative, evidence-based analysis of data on migration and migrants in the UK, to inform media, public and policy debates, and to generate high quality research on.
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Table of Contents
- AUTHORS Nuni Jorgensen 1
- Mihnea V. Cuibus Peter William Walsh Madeleine Sumption 1
- PUBLISHED 25102024 1
- BRIEFING 2
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 2
- Key Points 2
- Afghans were the top nationality among small boat arrivals in 2023. Between April 2022 and June 2023 more Afghans reached the UK by small boat than through the bespoke resettlement schemes. 2
- The number of Afghans seeking asylum also rose sharply after the Taliban took power and nearly all are now granted protection in the UK. 2
- The South East London and the West Midlands received the most people under the Afghan schemes. Birmingham Leeds and Bristol were the local authorities that received the most Afghan refugees. 2
- The share of those resettled under the Afghan schemes living in temporary accommodation fell from 38 to 12 in the year to 30 June 2024. 2
- In June 2024 almost ten million Afghans were displaced globally with 90 internally displaced within Afghanistan or in Iran or Pakistan 2
- Understanding the policy 2
- BRIEFING 3
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 3
- BRIEFING 4
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 4
- BRIEFING 5
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 5
- Understanding the evidence 5
- Around 29000 people received settlement in the UK under the two main schemes for resettling Afghans as of 30 June 2024 5
- BRIEFING 6
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 6
- Afghans were the top nationality among small boat arrivals in 2023 6
- BRIEFING 7
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 7
- BRIEFING 8
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 8
- Nearly all Afghan asylum applicants are granted protection in the UK 8
- BRIEFING 9
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 9
- The South East London and the West Midlands received the most people under the Afghan schemes 9
- BRIEFING 10
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 10
- The share of people resettled under the Afghan schemes living in temporary accommodation fell from 38 to 12 in the year to 30 June 2024 10
- BRIEFING 11
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 11
- Around half of Afghans who arrived under the humanitarian visa routes were children similar to other resettlement schemes 11
- BRIEFING 12
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 12
- Other European countries have also seen an increase in Afghan asylum claimants since the fall of Kabul 12
- BRIEFING 13
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 13
- BRIEFING 14
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 14
- Acknowledgements 14
- BRIEFING 15
- Afghan asylum seekers and refugees in the UK 15
- The Migration Observatory 15
- About the authors 15
- COMPAS 15
- Press contact 15
- Recommended citation 15
