Navigation guide Refugee populations in the UK: Algerians - ICAR

1995 316 801 1,790 2,940 650 270 388 1,870 9,025
1996 225 609 640 2,360 440 110 396 720 5,500
1997 281 857 900 2,620 530 270 564 720 6,742
1998 337 813 920 1,572 821 1,581 529 1,260 7,833
1999 351 569 1,306 1,491 635 1,342 491 1,385 7,570
2000 807 422 1,775 1,381 279 276 492 1,635 7,067
2001 1,709 543 2,924 1,981 328 225 830 1,115 9,655
2002 936 119 2,839 1,733 202 344 1,031 1,055 8,259
2003 400 71 2,125 1,139 109 680 866 537 5,927
Total 6,151 6,269 19,623 41,355 5,988 5,486 7,049 11,622 103,543
Source: UNHCR 69
These figures relate to the graph in the historical context section. It is clear that the large majority of Algerian
asylum seekers initially went to Germany, and Germany continues to be significant. 70 The UK received the
second largest number of applications in 1995 and 2000 but other than those years, a smaller proportion of
Algerians have come to the UK. In France, the application procedure for the ‘B-status’ of asylum, called asile
territorial, is entirely separate and so not included in these figures. Estimates suggest that up to 7,000 71
Algerians may have applied for the French ‘B-status’ over this period. If these figures were included they
would further inflate the numbers of Algerians going to France.
Asylum support
Since April 2000, destitute asylum seekers have been able to apply for accommodation and subsistence
support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS). 72 At the end of 2000, 470 Algerians were being
supported under NASS. Of these, 105 received subsistence only, and 355 also received accommodation.
Those who received no accommodation were likely to be staying with friends or had simply rejected the
accommodation offered to them. During 2001, 970 Algerians were supported: 240 for subsistence only and
625 for full support. At the end of 2001, a total of 1,010 Algerians were receiving support under NASS.
These figures are slightly less than the number of Algerians who requested asylum in 2001 since some
people obviously refused, or were refused, support. More recent figures suggest that in January 2003, 1,009
Algerians were receiving accommodation and subsistence support from NASS. From January 2003
onwards, the entry into force of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act withdrew support from all those
69 UNHCR (November 2001) Asylum Applications in Industrialised Countries: 1980 – 1999. Geneva: UNHCR. Available
at http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.pdftbl=STATISTICS&id=3c3eb40f4&page=statistics; UNHCR
(March 2002) Asylum Trends in Europe, North America. Australia, and New Zealand: 1999 – 2001. Geneva: UNHCR;
UNHCR (February 2003) Asylum applications lodged in industrialized countries: Levels and trends 2000-2002.
Geneva: UNHCR. Available at http://www.unhcr.ch/cgibin/texis/vtx/statistics/+5wwBmejuhgKwwwwnwwwwwwwmFqAIRERfIRfgIhFqAIRERfIRfgItFqA5BwBo5Boq5zFqAIRE
RfIRfgIAFqAIRERfIRfgIDzmxwwwwwww5Fqw1FqAIRERfIRfgI/opendoc.pdf; UNHCR (February 2004) Asylum levels
and Trends: Europe and non-European Industrialised Countries, 2003. Available at http://www.unhcr.ch/cgibin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.pdftbl=STATISTICS&id=403b1d7e4&page=statistics.
All accessed 11 May 2004.
70 The high number of applications in Germany was common to all asylum applications at the time. In the early 1990s,
60% of asylum applications in Europe were made in Germany so Algerians were not exceptional in this.
71 ECRE (1999) Country Report: France, ECRE, London; Delouvin, P. (2000) ‘The evolution of asylum in France’
Journal of Refugee Studies 13(1), pp. 61-73.
72 Home Office (2002) Asylum statistics United Kingdom 2001 [accessed 4 May 2004]. This provision has changed with
the recent withdrawal of support from in-country applicants and the reconfiguration of this change due to court appeals.
See the Refugee Council briefing for more information [accessed 4 May 2004].
Navigation guide to refugee populations: Algerians
©ICAR 2004, moral rights Michael Collyer
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