Asylum applications fall-off second highest drop in EU

APPLICATIONS for asylum fell by a third last year, according to official figures published yesterday.

The 2003 Annual Report of the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC) said that there were 7,900 applications in 2003, compared with 11,634 in 2002.

ORAC said that 345 people were granted refugee status representing 4.2% of all applicants in 2003.