Who is a refugee?

A refugee is a person who 'owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country'
Article 1, 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees

Who is an asylum seeker?

An asylum seeker is someone who has applied for asylum and is waiting for a decision as to whether or not they are a refugee. In other words, in the UK an asylum seeker is someone who has asked the Government for refugee status and is waiting to hear the outcome of their application.

Where do asylum seekers in Britain come from?

The top ten countries of origin for asylum seekers entering the UK in 2009 are as follows: Zimbabwe (5540); Afghanistan (3330); Iran (1835); Eritrea (1360); Pakistan (1275); Sri Lanka (1110); Somalia (920); Iraq (845); other African countries (805); NIgeria (635).

Does Britain have more asylum seekers than most countries?

South Africa was the main country of destination for asylum seekers of all nationalities in 2009, with an estimated 222,000 new asylum claims. The United States was the second most sought-after destination for new asylum-seekers in 2009 with an estimated 47,900 asylum applications, followed by France (42,100), Malaysia (40,100), Ecuador (35,500), Canada (34,000), and the United Kingdom (30,700).