Namibian asylum seekers in UK drop from 1 000 to five

Since the United Kingdom (UK) scrapped visa-free entry for Namibians last year, applications for asylum by Namibians have dropped from 1 000 to five. British High Commissioner Charles Moore confirmed this on The Agenda last weekend.While he acknowledged that the UK’s action was unwelcome - describing it as a blip in the bilateral relationship - he said the situation had a detrimental impact on that country's economy and changes had to be made.“I understand the frustrations expressed immediately after the UK imposed the visa regime. For many months, we were clear about not imposing a visa regime. However, we finally imposed it due to an unsustainable and significant increase in the number of Namibians claiming asylum on arrival in the UK,” he said.Highest asylum seekers worldwideMoore said in the years leading up to July 2023, over 1 000 Namibians claimed asylum upon arrival in the UK - the highest number from anywhere in the world in terms of countries who didn’t need a visa at that time. “In the year after, the number of applications we've had for asylum from Namibia has been five,” he noted.He added that people were applying for asylum purely to take advantage of a 18-month grace period. “This is wrong. This increase happened over a year, and was getting worse and would have gotten [even] worse had we not implemented a visa regime,” he said. During the grace period, the UK grants asylum applicants accommodation, food and work opportunities.Imposing the visa regime has meant many genuine Namibian visitors - including business people, officials and tourists - face longer processing times and higher costs for visas. “It now takes 15 working days for a visa to be issued - something Namibians have not been used to for 34 years,” Moore said.Homosexuality groundsNamibian Sun understands most asylum seekers were reported to be using the grounds of homosexuality to seek asylum. Many alleged they feared for their lives and sought refuge outside the country, grounds Namibian authorities often dismissed as fake.The Windhoek High Court recently ruled to decriminalise sodomy and unnatural sex after a gay man challenged the law on sodomy. However, last week, home affairs minister Albert Kawana introduced an amendment bill seeking to ban same-sex marriages and redefine the term ‘spouse’ to give it an exclusively heterosexual meaning.In response to whether these developments will change the dynamics and if there would now be more grounds to have people seeking asylum in the UK, Moore said: “While we do not have specific data on why individuals seek asylum, it is known anecdotally that many claimed persecution for being gay”.He added: “I have always been very clear that I can think of absolutely no reason why any Namibian is entitled to claim asylum. It is a stable, peaceful democracy where people are not persecuted, imprisoned or disappeared by the government”.Safety for those in needHe further emphasised that the UK continues to welcome asylum applications from those genuinely at risk due to persecution, war or harsh conditions from their home countries. “We have always been and will continue to be happy to provide safety for those in need, which they may not find elsewhere. However, illegal immigrants pose significant challenges,” he said.Moore added that it is not necessarily about them overwhelming the country, but explained that their presence has a negative economic impact on the UK, including the high costs associated with their removal.“This situation strains our public finances. Protecting our borders is crucial, and just as the UK has the right to enforce its visa regimes, Namibia - as a sovereign country - also has the right to control its borders and determine who can enter the country.”

Namibian asylum seekers in UK drop from 1 000 to five

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-15

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Namibian asylum seekers in UK drop from 1 000 to five

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-15

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