Malta received almost 9,000 asylum applications from sub-Saharan Africans over the past five years, the second highest number per capita worldwide.
A report issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees shows that, last year alone, Malta received 2,390 asylum applications, eight per cent fewer than in 2008, which was a record year for Malta with 2,610 applications filed.
The report, listing statistical details of the number of asylum applications lodged around the world, shows that, when the populations of the states where asylum applications are submitted are taken into account, Malta is the second most burdened country in the world.
Between 2005 and 2009, Malta received 21.6 asylum applications per 1,000 inhabitants for a total of 8,820, a record only surpassed by Cyprus, which received 30.1 applications per capita during the same period.
Although requests for the granting of refuge or humanitarian status are normally processed according to strict international rules where only justified cases are recognised, almost all illegal immigrants landing on Malta's shores file an asylum application.
Apart from prolonging their stay in Malta, at least until the whole process is over, such an application also offers them the chance to hope for a better "recognised" future in Europe.
According to the UNHCR, the overwhelming majority of asylum applications in Malta were submitted by Somalis - 1,445 - in 2009, followed by Nigerians - 280, Eritreans - 273 and from other African countries including Guinea, Mali and Gambia. Almost all the asylum applicants arrived in Malta illegally after crossing on boats to the island from Libyan ports.
"Although Malta has a very high percentage of asylum applications, particularly due to its geographical position and small population, we have seen for the first time a drop in 2009 when compared to the previous years," a UNHCR official in Brussels noted.
"Preliminary statistics for 2010 also seem to indicate a further decrease. However, it is still too early to arrive to a conclusion because the summer months, when the peak of the crossings is reached, are just starting," he said.
Although the global financial crisis resulting in fewer job opportunities in Europe might have been one of the main reasons for the drop in the number of illegal immigrants leaving Africa, stricter border controls by Libya and the new "forced return" policy adopted by Italy last year might also have contributed towards the decline observed last year.
The Italian "forced return" policy, where illegal immigrants intercepted on the high-seas are returned to Libya, has been highly criticised by the UNHCR as it feels this might be restricting the right of possible refugees to lodge asylum requests.
On a global level, the UNHCR statistics show that, in 2009, the overall number of asylum seekers in industrialised nations was stable. Compared to 2008, the number remained unchanged at 377,000 applications, despite significant regional disparities highlighted in the report.
The number of asylum applications increased in 19 countries and fell in the other 25. The Nordic region recorded a 13 per cent increase, with 51,100 new applicants, the highest in six years. In contrast, the number of applications in southern Europe dropped by 33 per cent with 50,100 claims, driven by significant declines in Italy (-42 per cent), Turkey (-40 per cent) and Greece (-20 per cent).