Home Office issues strong warning to asylum seekers

The Home Office has pledged to get tough with refugees or asylum seekers who commit serious offences.

If they commit any of a list of offences, including violence, sex offences, terrorism and drug crimes, they will be stripped of their right to remain in the UK, no matter what sentence is imposed. Those who are convicted of particularly serious offences will be deported at the end of their custodial sentence under the plans. If awaiting a decision on asylum, their claim will be turned down.

Announcing the measures, Home Secretary David Blunkett said: "We need a message to go out that we will welcome you into the UK if you have a genuine wish to contribute to the country and your own wellbeing. But I am not prepared to welcome you if you are going to make other people's lives a misery."

The Government already has powers under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 to ensure that an individual sentenced to more than two years' imprisonment will have their asylum claim turned down. This new power extends these provisions to all refugees or asylum seekers convicted of a serious offence.

Mr Blunkett said that only a small proportion of asylum seekers or refugees are involved in such crimes, but those that do must be dealt with firmly.

"These crimes have a disproportionate impact, harming not only their victims, but also community relations and trust in our asylum system," he said.

The Home Office warned that criminals would no longer be able to rely on the protection of the Refugee Convention. The Convention states that refugee protection should not offer protection to individuals that have committed a 'particularly serious crime' and pose 'a danger to the community'.

Recent figures show that the number of people applying for asylum in the UK has halved, falling to 3,610 in June 2003.

(SP)