Where are asylum seekers applying?
Those from the former Yugoslavia favour Germany and Switzerland. Iraqis, (especially) Turks, Armenians and Sierra Leoneans also choose Germany. Somalis, Sri Lankans, and those from the Russian Federation go to the UK (Somalia has long been consumed by civil war but the northern part of the country was a former British colony, making those fleeing more likely to seek asylum in the UK than elsewhere in Europe). Iranians choose Austria and Germany. Chinese primarily choose France and also the UK, although the USA is a popular alternative. Pakistanis favour Germany and the UK particularly. Those asylum applicants from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) go to France or Belgium, doubtless for cultural and linguistic reasons. However, there is at least one example where the “previous colony effect” is strongly negative rather than positive: very few asylum seekers from Algeria go to France, although illegal immigration does occur–Germany, Spain and the UK are greatly preferred
