AND NOW FOR THE FACTS

Nationally:

1.  New Asylum applications fell by 20% in the first three months of 2004. (Home Office Report)

2. Persons granted citizenship in 2003 in the UK was at its smallest since 1999.
Applications refused rose in 2003  (Report on Persons Granted British Citizenship in the UK in 2003, May 2004 p3)

3. 1975 ­ 1999 saw an inflow of 420,000 from the old Commonwealth to the UK (New Zealand, Australia, Canada and South Africa).

4. Inflow to the UK from the rest of the world totalled 283,000
 
5. 1980 ­ 1998 saw the stock of foreign population as a percentage of the total population in the UK being 3.8%.
Luxembourg had a figure of 35% (International migration and the UK; recent patterns and trends 2001, 2002.)

Locally:

6. 'The number of people resident in Leicestershire on Census night was 867,521.  There was an increase of 1.7% since 1981.  This change results principally from there being more births than deaths in the county, despite a net loss due to migration'. (Office of National Statistics).
From1991 - 2001 the City's population decreased by 5000 or 1.7%. (Office of National Statistics).

7. The City's total resident population as at 2001 was 279,900 (Office of National Statistics).
Just over half of one per cent of Leicester's population are asylum seekers. Approx. 1600.

8.  Leicester's industries are currently facing problems with recruitment, skills shortage and skills gaps.

•     54% of businesses recruiting new staff reported difficulties.
•     56% of manufacturing firms reported problems with recruitment.
•     51% of the service sector reported problems with recruitment.

However:

9. Amongst the asylum seekers living in the UK are
doctors, accountants, electricians, teachers, mechanics, engineers, business managers and fishermen.  These typical professions exist within the Asylum communities in Leicester.

10. Other professions of asylum seekers interviewed in Leicester included agricultural consultant, quantity surveyor, designer of industrial machinery, assistant to chief of budget department in finance ministry, quality controller for forestry commission.
(NIACE July 2001 p14)

11. Interviewing a sample of asylum seekers in Leicester in March 2001, found:

•     18% had qualifications equivalent to 'O' levels
•     11% had qualifications equivalent to 'A'  levels
•     30% had qualifications equivalent to Diploma/HND
•     26%completed or were in the process of completing Higher Education qualification.