LONDON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Britain witnessed the number of those seeking asylum in the country fall by 11 percent in the second quarter of this year.
For the year to date, the total fell 21 percent to 6,220 applications from the same period of last year, the Times of London reported.
But the government didn't have the same success in deporting failed asylum seekers. The number of those deported fell 2 per cent in the second quarter from the same quarter of last year,
Officials credited the continuing decline in asylum applications -- down by 76 percent from the peak of October 2002 -- to new measures including the removal of right of appeal from those coming from countries deemed to be safe, use of new technology and stationing of immigration officials abroad.
Habib Rahman with the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said: "We should be deeply ashamed that more people do not claim asylum in the United Kingdom given that one in 300 of the world's people is fleeing persecution, violence or war."
But Andrew Green with the Migrationwatch UK welcomed the declining numbers and urged the government to "get a grip" on the removal of failed applicants.
