UKICE blog questions effectiveness of government's asylum deterrence policies
UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) has published a blog by Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello and Ali Ahmadi examining the claim that stricter UK asylum policies will deter asylum seekers. The blog argues that the evidence does not support a simple ‘pull factor’ model and that asylum policy generosity plays a limited role in destination choice. Instead, the authors highlight social networks as the strongest pull factor, with research showing that asylum seekers are more likely to apply in countries where they have family, friends or established diaspora communities. They note that restrictive welfare policies, employment bans and longer routes to settlement have only a modest or inconsistent impact on asylum flows.