Britain must take in 100,000 asylum seekers a year, says immigration lawyer
11 July 2022, 13:12 | Updated: 11 July 2022, 16:21
Britain should take in 100,000 asylum seekers a year as part of a global programme to fix the refugee crisis, according to a top legal expert.
Ivon Sampson, principle immigration lawyer at PRIVATUS, argued the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should coordinate a new scheme to distribute refugees around the world.
Prospective asylum seekers would be able to apply for refugee status at processing centers around the globe, with those crossing the English Channel in boats sent to one of the centers whilst their claims are assessed.
Countries would then be allocated a set number of asylum seekers to take in from the centers, based on their population size and GDP.
Appearing on Tom Swarbrick's LBC show Mr Sampson said: "Once an asylum claim succeeds they [the UNHCR] should determine where they get sent to, and each country should take their fair share according to their population and GDP.
"I personally think we should accept about 100,000 people a year - that would be our fair share.
READ MORE: James O'Brien blasts Rwanda refugee scheme for appealing to 'vile racists'
A recent timeline of lives lost crossing the English Channel
"Countries like Germany and France are doing exactly that."
Mr Sampson added that any asylum seekers with family members in the UK "should have a right to come here" as well.
The proposed scheme would replace the Government's current Rwanda plan, under which prospective refugees who arrive across the English Channel by boat will be sent to the central African country for processing.
If their applications are approved, they will then be granted refugee status in Rwanda, but will not be eligible to return to the UK.
However due to legal challenges none of those who crossed the Channel have yet been sent to Rwanda, with more court battles upcoming.
READ MORE: Refugee who was 'raped and beaten' after deportation brands Rwanda plan a 'death sentence'
