Politics are moderating in the U.K.

I've seen them in the news, read about them etc same as everyone else. It would be lovely to believe that everyone who turns up on our beaches are genuine asylum seekers and poor souls but I'm afraid I'm just too old and too cynical to believe that.

Oreo

And you MaizieD appear to have your head in the sand.
Haven’t you seen any interviews in Albania with young men who state every time they’re sent back they try and return as the wages are so good.They are mainly economic migrants and it’s their aim to come here and earn as much as possible.
Can’t blame them, but we can’t let everybody in here and we do give asylum to some who can prove they have a case.The figures are there if you want to look for them.

So let's process asylum seekers quickly and send those without a legitimate case back home and get those with a legitimate case settled. That doesn't justify labelling them all the same or some of the horrendous bigotry which is coming out of the woodwork.

From BBC website.

Aveline

I've seen them in the news, read about them etc same as everyone else. It would be lovely to believe that everyone who turns up on our beaches are genuine asylum seekers and poor souls but I'm afraid I'm just too old and too cynical to believe that.

Yes, so what? They're not all Albanian, they're not all "economic" migrants and many have a legitimate case for claiming asylum, but people like you seem to think it's fine to label them all the same.

Aveline

From BBC website.

43? Out of how many people currently on the waiting list for claiming asylum?

It would be helpful to have the facts instead of the half heard stories from the media I think.
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01403/

Casdon

It would be helpful to have the facts instead of the half heard stories from the media I think.
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01403/

Don't be daft! Half-mangled facts suit some people's agenda much better!

“until their applications for asylum have been properly processed then no-one actually knows who is and who isn't”

There’s a disconnect here. If you have. Genuine reason to seek asylum then you’d be open and honest about your circumstances and likely have done proof of that. If you’re an economic migrant you’ll be paperless and claiming you’re from someone you’re not, waiting to slink off in the night.
Funny how so many applications fail.,,,

45,756 came via illegal channel crossing in 2022. A huge number. Of course it's going to take time to process those and fund their stay. Those are the ones officially counted of course. To get to UK they have to pass through several safe countries.

43?

This is a better picture. Almost a thousand!

In the 12 months to end of June 2022, a total of 888 Albanians were returned from the UK.14 Jan 2023
www.bbc.co.uk › news › exp...
Albanian migrants: Why are they coming to the UK and how many have arrived? - BBC

The government's policy and actions is so wrong on so many points. If there are Albanians who are economic migrants housing them in hotels simply makes it easier for the gang bosses to find them. Because it is illegal for them to work they are forced to work for gang bosses. If they were able to work for proper employers they would contribute taxes and realise what a decent wage is. Genuine asylum seekers could begin to build a decent life for themselves, paying taxes and supporting their own family. If applications were processed more quickly economic migrants could be sent home. As it is the system is useless and encourages criminal activities.

Urmstongran

43?

This is a better picture. Almost a thousand!

In the 12 months to end of June 2022, a total of 888 Albanians were returned from the UK.14 Jan 2023
www.bbc.co.uk › news › exp...
Albanian migrants: Why are they coming to the UK and how many have arrived? - BBC

888 out of how many?

They still make up a minority, but I guess you'd sink them all in the Channel!

growstuff you are full of hyperbolic nonsense.
I was just quoting a reputable source of information.
You always take things to extremes!

Has it ever occurred to you how lucky you are to be able to swan around and spend half your life in another country? These people are human beings too - not labels. They deserve a decent life too.

And it seems like many of them could have a decent life in any of several other countries or even in their own. Genuine asylum seekers are not the problem.

Aveline

45,756 came via illegal channel crossing in 2022. A huge number. Of course it's going to take time to process those and fund their stay. Those are the ones officially counted of course. To get to UK they have to pass through several safe countries.

Crossing the Channel is not illegal. The stay wouldn't need to be funded if the processing was more rapid. And that's about 1000 per week, or 200 per working day. We have a massive post-Brexit shortfall of workers in various key areas of the economy.

Aveline

And it seems like many of them could have a decent life in any of several other countries or even in their own. Genuine asylum seekers are not the problem.

Genuine asylum seekers are treated appallingly. So if they are not the problem what's the justificaton for keeping them waiting years for their case to be decided? They are stuck in limbo unable to properly provide for their families.

Ah growstuff. What I chose to do in life eh?
It seems to really rankle you as you often bring it up.
“Swan around” is quite a telling statement!
We are not remotely wealthy.
We sold an ordinary semi & bought 2 small apartments.
We run a car which is 17y old.
We don’t spend money on a garden, hobbies or a horse/boat/pets as some do on this forum.

I have absolutely no issue with people wishing to come and live in the UK. Everyone deserves a decent life - of course they do. And the UK is pretty wonderful. Tolerant, kind and accepting of immigrants, their faiths and hopes.

Just don’t come over on a rubber dinghy.

Aveline

And it seems like many of them could have a decent life in any of several other countries or even in their own. Genuine asylum seekers are not the problem.

The vast majority of asylum requests are granted. This is a government website giving facts and figures. www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-december-2021/how-many-people-do-we-grant-asylum-or-protection-to

The problem is not the tabloid figure of the 'bogus asylum seeker'. the problem is the delay in processing, which could be easily solved.

Urmstongran

Ah growstuff. What I chose to do in life eh?
It seems to really rankle you as you often bring it up.
“Swan around” is quite a telling statement!
We are not remotely wealthy.
We sold an ordinary semi & bought 2 small apartments.
We run a car which is 17y old.
We don’t spend money on a garden, hobbies or a horse/boat/pets as some do on this forum.

I have absolutely no issue with people wishing to come and live in the UK. Everyone deserves a decent life - of course they do. And the UK is pretty wonderful. Tolerant, kind and accepting of immigrants, their faiths and hopes.

Just don’t come over on a rubber dinghy.

But that's the problem. Safe routes have been closed off. People wouldn't choose to come in rubber dinghies if their claims could be processed in France, as the French government have offered and the British government has refused.

Urmstongran
You ask why are they coming to the uk
I’m assuming you haven’t been there 😄 We took a detour one year on our way back to Bulgaria. Tirana is a modern city.
Outside of that it is extremely poor. No industry as such unless you can count harvesting cannabis ( of which there is a lot) an industry 🤔

Why the UK though? If all the young men leave a country how can it ever possibly improve? Bulgaria is not a barren wasteland for example. Just because the cannabis industry there is a main one doesn't mean to say it's the only one possible.
Why always come West btw? Genuine question. Not all middle Eastern or African countries are at war or otherwise uninhabitable.
I'm not meaning to be awkward just trying to get away from the polarisation of all immigrants are welcome vs all immigrants are undesirable. I'm trying to think all round the issue.

More myths.
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/commentaries/albanian-asylum-seekers-in-the-uk-and-eu-a-look-at-recent-data/

Not myths. Info re Albanians. Interesting that far more Albanian women are granted asylum than men as they may be trafficked. Now most Albanian applications are from men.
My queries not answered though.

The myths are that the Albanians come only to UK - and that the UK takes more than our share of asylum seekers.