Illegal immigrant arrivals in Malta drop 71.7 pct in 2014

A total of 569 irregular immigrants were brought to Maltese shores, a decrease of 71.7 percent comparing with the preceding year, said an official report on Friday, ahead of the World Refugee Day.

Of the 569 persons brought ashore during 2014, 67.5 percent were of African origin while a further 32.3 percent were of Asian origin, according to the report released by the archipelago's National Statistics Office.

Almost a third of all African visitors were Somali nationals (30.7 percent) while 20.8 percent were Sudanese nationals. The majority of Asian nationals arriving by boat during 2014 were Syrian, with 72.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Refugee Commissioner processed 1,735 applications in 2014, and 72.6 percent were granted a positive decision, while the remaining applications were rejected. Two-thirds of the applicants who were granted asylum were of African origin.

A decrease of 49.0 percent was registered in the resident population of open centres and other institutional households.

During 2014, 991 persons were found to be present illegally in Malta, a decrease of 59.3 percent over the previous year. Endit