Asylum Seekers: Some Facts

Stuff you may not know about.

- There are over 40 million refugees in the world.
- 80% of the worlds refugees are women and children.
- The countries that support the most refugees are poor countries and the two countries supporting most of them are Pakistan and Iran. Only a very small number make it to the UK.
- There is no such thing as an "Illegal Asylum Seeker", everyone can legally claim asylum in the UK under the United Nations Conventions of Human Rights, which we signed up to in 1951. Only two countries have not signed this - America and Somalia. We should be proud that we are standing up for Global Human Rights.
- Asylum Seekers cannot get on local authority housing lists.
The UK detains and puts into Detention Centres, more asylum seekers then any other country in the EU.
- Eire, Holland, Belgium and Denmark offer more financial support to refugees then the UK does.
- Refugees arriving in the UK is nothing new. The UK has received them for over 1000 years. During the First World War we received over 5000 every week. Today we receive less then 2000 a week, but the media suggest that we are getting flooded with them - WE ARE NOT.
- Until very recently, more people have left the UK then have come into it. There are millions of Britains living in Spain, New Zealand, Canada and so on. We are not a small island but a part of a global nation.
- The largest number of people coming from abroad to work in the uk come from America, Canada and Australia.
- Asylum Seekers cannot work in the UK until the Home Office approves it.
- 50% of NHS Doctors are foreign born and 13% of nurses are also foreign - the NHS couldn't function without them.
- Every year the UK's foreign born population contributes 10% more to Government revenue then they take out, equivalent to £2.6 billion a year!

From a Young Asylum Seeker - Odd things about Britain.

- Fish and Chip Shops
- 3 Pin Plugs
- The Weather
- TV Licenses
- Left Handed People Writing
- Sticks of rock at the seaside
- Queues
- Police without guns
- People saying duck instead of thank you
- Lots of tea
- Lots of Alcohol
- School in the afternoon
- No mountains
- Dogs as pets and living in the house
- Bullying in schools
- Class Divisions
- Driving on the wrong side of the road