There are around 7.300 application forms and 51.000 people, Iraqi citizens are much more than former Yugoslavia ones. Former Yugoslavia citizens application forms are 33.100.
Applications turned in by Afghan citizens are during 2002 half of what they used to be. During 2001 53.000 application forms were given in by Afghan citizens while in 2002 they were 25.700.
United Kingdom accepted the higher number of refugees (111.000), USA (81.000), Germany (71.000), France (51.000) and Austria (37.000). This last country holds the highest number of applications compared to its own citizens (4.6 every 1.000 residents).
Italy is in a much lower position, all worries concerning asylum seekers are therefore useless.
During 2002 7.300 application forms were given in (-24% compared to 2001), 1.354 were Sri Lankan citizens, 1.170 Iraqis, 1.104 former Yugoslavia citizens. During 2001 Iraqis presnted 1.985 application forms followed by Turkish citizens with 1.690 forms and 1.526 forms coming from former Yugoslavia citizens.
In order to have a right interpretation of those data, it is important to keep in mind that the most of Iraqi and Turkish citizens applying for asylum are Kurds.
Unchr underlines that data clearly show that when the political situation improves in countries of origin refugees numbers do lower. Refugees coming from Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka are the 43% less and 30% less than 2001.
What is not told in this note giving asylum seekers data is the fact that the 7.300 application forms up to today are still waiting to be evaluated. It usually takes one year to have papers looked through, this means that while awaitng refugees are not allowed to regularly work.
On the other hand, refugees are helped in finding an accomodation only for the first few weeks of stay whereas no assistance is being recognized by local bureaus.
Refugees are people whose stay is accepted or simply tolerated but their human and civil rights are not being anyway respected. They do not hold the right to work in order to sustain themselves nor they have other legal choice to work. Asylum seekers, while awaiting for the evaluation of their application, become a part of the huge number of people obliged to conceiled work. And this is not their own choice, it is the government’s.