News on Countries of Asylum
Published: 1 Sep 2016
Global
World’s six richest countries host less than 9% of refugees
Africa
Reuters reports more Europe-bound refugees may be dying in Sahara than at sea
Libya
Tanzania
Americas
Canada
- Law preventing refugees from reunifying with dependents not declared on their application causes separation of families
- Government of Canada publishes key figures on refugee resettlement between 2015 and 2016
- Approximately 6,300 asylum seekers stuck in government backlog for up to six years
United States
- 57 percent of noncitizens against whom Homeland Security sought removal orders are entitled to remain
- U.S. announces temporary protection of Central American refugees in Costa Rica as officials acknowledge insufficient effort to help people with “legitimate refugee claims”
- Homeland Security extends Temporary Protected Status of eligible El Salvador nationals to 9 March 2018
- Federal judges urge compromise on question of legal counsel for unaccompanied children
Asia
India
Malaysia
Joint Malaysia-UNHCR task force to supervise refugee registration
Pakistan
Pakistan cabinet finalising plans to send Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan
Asia Pacific
Australia
- Australia confirms Manus Island immigration detention centre will close
- Leading rights groups accuse Australia of deliberately ignoring refugee abuse
Australia/Nauru
Europe
- European Commission proposes to create common EU Resettlement Framework
- Under new EU rules, refugees face rejection of asylum applications if they leave country of arrival
Bulgaria
- Frontex to reinforce its activities at Bulgarian border with additional screening and debriefing experts
- Bulgaria plans new border fences in response to fears of “tide” of refugees
- Center of Legal Aid in Bulgaria publishes statistics on migrant detention
- Outrage in Bulgaria over secretive transfer of Turkish citizen to Ankara
Croatia
Croatia and Slovenia preparing to reopen refugee camps
Denmark
Danish police seize valuables from asylum seekers for first time since adoption of controversial law
Germany
- 6,000 refugees sue Germany over delayed asylum requests
- Report shows increase in Turkish asylum seekers in Germany
- German states to receive billions over next three years to integrate refugees
Greece
- Children being “sexually assaulted” in Greek refugee camps
- Migrant crisis intensifies in Greece as aid dwindles and asylum registration bottlenecks overwhelm refugee camps
- Refugees in Greece complain of slow asylum registration process and poor living conditions
Italy
- Italy illegally returning migrant children to Greece
- Italy’s refugee reception system buckling under pressure of continued refugee arrivals
- Italy opening Humanitarian Corridors to allow one thousand asylum seekers to apply for visas and enter Italy
Serbia
Over 3,000 refugees at Serbian border within a month
Sweden
United Kingdom
- Home Office wins appeal against landmark ruling allowing four refugees living in Calais camp to come to Britain
- Hundreds of Eritrean asylum applications still “incorrectly refused” by Home Office
- Fees for Upper Tribunal judicial review applications rise again
- Treatment of asylum seekers in Glasgow to be investigated
- Degrading restriction on right to work for asylum seekers
Middle East
Israel
New Israeli NGO law targets human rights groups critical of government
Jordan
Jordan allows food, water to Berm border area “temporarily,” citing security issues
Lebanon
Government debates presence of Syrian refugees in wake of a series of suicide bombings
Turkey
- Turkey threatens to back away from refugee deal with EU as EU fails to grant visa-free travel
- Gay Syrian refugee found beheaded in Istanbul amid concerns that Turkey does not protect asylum seekers