ASYLUM APPLICATIONS are at their lowest level since 1997, according to the 2008 annual report of the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner.
This is the body to which asylum applicants first apply when seeking asylum. If refused, they may appeal to the Refugee Appeals Tribunal.
In 2008, the total number of applications received was 3,866, a 3 per cent reduction on 2007 applications, continuing the decline over recent years.
The top six applicant countries for 2008 were Nigeria (26.1 per cent), Pakistan (6.1 per cent), Iraq (5.3 per cent), Georgia (4.7 per cent), China (4.7 per cent) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (4.4 per cent). All except the Congo also featured among the top sending countries in 2007, where Sudan replaced the Congo in the top six.
There were 98 applications from unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, which accounted for 2.5 per cent of the total. There was an increase of 9.4 per cent in the number of applications for family reunification.
