How often is asylum granted?
The number of people granted asylum hit a high in 2001. It’s unclear how much of the 35% drop since then is because of fewer people seeking asylum or immigration authorities’ more stringent enforcement since 9/11. But observers say the 54% fall in applications for asylum since 1996 is clearly due to immigration law changes that year, which created a one-year filing deadline for asylum seekers and expedited removing refugees who arrive without valid travel documents. According to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, a backlog of 169,743 applications for U.S. asylum were pending at the end of 2005.
