StoneRoad2013's photos with the keyword: English Channel

Comparing the UK [English Channel] with Greece, Italy & Spain [Mediterranean Sea] for the relative numbers of people crossing in "small" boats. It should be noted that some of the boats involved in crossing the Med are not little Zodiac types but stripped out fishing / cargo boats carrying hundreds of people - and as equally dangerous to their human cargo ! . not my image ; fair use & public information

The government's efforts to reduce the significant backlog in claims - by allocating additional staff etc - has reduced the backlog. I hope that they dealt with the oldest & more complex claims in a sympathetic and timely manner. . noy my image ; fair use & public information

The number of asylum claims rose after 2020, to almost double. There was a small fall in news claims during 2023. . Not my Image ; fair use & public information

Still a significant proportion from Afghanistan, & Iran ... would suspect that their claims will be fleeing the Taliban's religious fervour. . Not my image ; fair use & public information

The number of crossings has continued to climb in October & November 2024 - the weather in the English Channel was still good enough to permit small boat crossings [although I believe some boats did need assistance ...] . not my image ; fair use & public information

The small section of the legacy backlog still remaining appears to be the more complicated applications. There are still people awaiting an initial decisions whose applications were made just after the arbitrary 28th June 2022 date ... Also, there was a significant increase during 2023 of abandoned / withdrawn applications - which suggests both people disappearing into the underlevels of society and a degree of administative fudging to achieve this artificial and politically driven "target" ... . not my image : fair use & public information

A significant proportion of the "withdrawn" applications in 2023 were dropped by the government, after they made it much easier for them to do that [for example, a missed appointment]. . Some 5k applications from Albanians were refused in 2023. . Being cynical, I wonder how many of the "withdrawn" applications were dumped by the government - on spurious grounds - in order to claim that the "legacy backlog" was being cleared on target. . not my image : fair use & public education

These applications are continuing to accumulate ... despite the steady progress in clearing the "legacy backlog" ie pre 28June2022 applications. It is only after September 2023 that there is any significant decrease in the overall total of applications awaiting an initial decision. . Not my image : fair use & public education

In my opinion, this "legacy decision backlog" built up partly because of covid, partly from the significant increase in applications, but also because the home Office just didn't have enough staff to properly assess each case in a timely manner. Being somewhat cynical, I'm now wondering how carefully cases will be assessed as the Home Office are going to be under political pressure in dealing with this backlog ... . not my image : fair use & public education

The numbers detected making the Channel crossing in 2024 are broadly similar to those in 2022 [& a little higher than in 2023, to late June]. . not my image ; fair use & public education

The asylum application [now including appeals] backlog appears to be falling from the peak in 2022/3 - now the government has allocated more administrative resources. [Which they should have done back in 2018 when the backlog began growing significantly]. . not my image ; fair use & public information

The "nationality" of people detected crossing the English Channel in small boats in the year to March 2024 [so from March 2023]. . Not my Image : fair use & public information

Comparing "detected" boat arrivals in selected countries; Italy, UK, Greece & Spain. The relative numbers have varied over the period shown, but these movements are continuing to rise ... as they are caused by a number of factors. Note : All, except the UK, are around the Mediterranean Sea. . Not my Image ; fair use & public information

This rise seems to be a reflection of the increase in conflicts around the world, as well as the relative freedom & prosperity perceived by those attempting the channel crossing. . not my image ; fair use & public information

The Channel is still not a barrier, other than when there is bad weather. The threat of deportation to Rwanda was never an unacceptable risk. not my image ; fair use & public information

Once the grant of asylum / refugee status has been made, the now refugee has a maximum of 28 days to fins somewhere to live & a means of paying for it ... before being expelled from their previous accommodation. Jobs and housing are not always easy to acquire, especially for someone fleeing persecution. The rapid processing of the application backlog has actually made this homelessness problem significantly worse over 2023. . not my image : fair use & public education

The large number of "Refused" applications in 2001-4 was mainly people of Albanian extraction. [? were they deported]. Various factors had resulted in the accumulation of a large backlog by 2022, and the then government made a concerted effort to deal with cases during 2023. . not my image ; fair use & public information

statistics show a similar trend to previous years, and the much vaunted "Rwanda Policy" seems to be no deterrent ... although the prospect of bad weather does ! . not my image ; fair use & public information