- BY Colin Yeo
Refusal rate for Syrian visa applications to UK
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I was just taking a look at the official immigration statistics to compare refusal rates for different nationalities. This jumped out at me, though: the refusal rate for visa applications by Syrians now stands at 57%. There was a 16 percentage point jump in the refusal rate between 3rd and 4th quarters 2011 and it is now double the refusal rate before the conflict began. The number of applications remains steady throughout the period.
The conflict really got going in the 2nd quarter of 2011. Combined with the admission of a mere 24 Syrians under the much vaunted UK resettlement programme, it rather calls into question UK humanitarian commitment.
See volume 2 of the data.
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3 responses
I’m glad that you have looked these statistics up at last. I already have a number of complaints in on this subject.
The figures are bad enough on their own. When compared with the rate of refusal for the surrounding countries not in conflict such as Jordan, Lebanon and Israel which have refusal rates between 12% and 20% it rather looks like Syrians are being singled out for ‘special treatment’.
In fact Syrians have a rate of refusal higher than that of even Somali applicants. it therefore unsurprising that so many desperate Syrians are drowning in the Mediterranean trying to get to safety.
There are lies damned lies and announcements of Humanitarianism by the British Government.
Thanks, Julian. I was looking up something else but once I’d worked out how to access the data tables our conversation on this came back to me and I thought I’d check the official rate…
The last recorded quarter showed rates of refusal of entry clearance as
Israel 8%
Jordan 11%
Lebanon 12%
Iraq 22%
Syria 57%
Other conflict areas
Libya 27%
Somalia 37%
Afghanistan 46%