Malawian asylum seekers will be returned to Malawi only where the decision making and independent appeals system have found that this would be consistent with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and ECHR. Where an individual is not a national of Malawi but is entitled to reside there we would take into account any likelihood of their being onwardly removed to another country. The nationality or entitlement of an applicant to reside in a country is determined by looking at and weighing up all of the available documentary and oral evidence. Where a person holds a genuine Malawian passport or other identity document issued by the Malawian authorities, that would normally be enough to show that the holder is entitled to reside in Malawi.
Information on the destination of persons removed from the UK has only been collated since 2004. The latest published information on removal of asylum seekers covers the third quarter of 2006.
Fewer than three asylum applicants, who were recorded as nationals of Zimbabwe, have been removed from the UK to Malawi, from January 2004 to September 2006. This figure includes enforced removals, persons departing ‘voluntarily’ after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration, and (since 2005) those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. This figure is provisional.
Information on removals of asylum seekers for the fourth quarter of 2006 will be published at the end of February on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration.html.