Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
Paragraph: 18
Explain high initial asylum grant rates for Albanian citizens compared to other EU countries.
Recommendation
The Home Office should set out in its response to this Report why up to 51% of asylum claims from Albania were given positive initial grounds decisions up to June 2022 and why that rate was much higher than rates in most comparable European countries.
Government Response Summary
The government explains that UK asylum processing is subject to specific country guidance case law and various factors impacting grant rates. They highlight a decrease in the Albanian grant rate to 34% by March 2023, and that high withdrawal rates bring the effective grant rate down to 5% when taken into account.
Paragraph Reference:
18
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
European countries. As mentioned, the UK has specific country guidance case law that sets out the approach to consideration of Albanian claims. Other countries are not bound by this law. Since June 2022 we have seen a decrease in the asylum grant rate for Albanians to 34% in the year ending March 2023. The grant rate can be dependent on various factors such as (but not limited to) the objective situation at the date of decision, the type and range of supporting evidence submitted, the claimant’s age and level of maturity, the material facts relating to the particular case, the claimant’s overall credibility, who the actors of persecution are, whether or not internal relocation is a reasonable option, the levels of complexity (e.g. vulnerability or safeguarding needs, or a modern slavery claim). Unlike most nationalities applying for asylum, Albanians have a high rate of withdrawals (84% of outcomes on Albanian claims in the year ending March 2023 were withdrawals, compared to 18% for all other nationalities combined). If withdrawn cases are taken into account, the grant rate at year ending March 2023 drops from 34% to 5% (compared to a reduction from 76% to 63% for other nationalities).