The Dublin Regulation, Influences on Asylum Destinations and the Exception of Algerians in the UK

Abstract

Since the late 1990s factors influencing the destinations of asylum seekers have raised a growing interest in Europe. The Dublin regulation of 2003 sets out to limit asylum seekers' choice of asylum country due to the perception that this enables them to select a European country on the basis of favourable policy measures. This assumption receives very little support in the literature. Recent studies into the movement of asylum seekers suggest that family and cultural relationships and, in some cases, the role of smugglers are more significant in determining the final country of asylum. Algerians who claim asylum in Britain appear to be an exception. The experience of those interviewed indicates that these influences do not play a significant role in their decision to come to Britain. Rather, they are motivated by a range of other factors that are specific to the Franco-Algerian relationship. These factors are unrelated to European policy developments yet the Dublin regulation still aims to prevent the movement which they are alleged to cause.