The Sydney Morning Herald reported on November 16 that while the number of visa overstayers and foreigners trying to come in on counterfeit documents went down, the number of foreigners not receiving clearance into Australia shot up.

In the last fiscal year, those denied access to the country went from 937 to 1241 people.  242 people were caught with counterfeit documents as opposed to last year’s 311 and in the last year only 51,000 people overstayed their visa compared to the 60,000 last year.

According to government officials, these numbers contributed to Australia’s advancement in fraud apprehension, closer watch on foreign travelers and the ‘dib-in line’ system that allows citizens to call authority about suspected illegal workers in the country.

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Using figures published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Agence France Presse of November 16, 2004 reported last week that while there is a decline in asylum applications in other industrialized countries, France has witnessed an increase in the number of asylum applications. According to United Nations officials, France is still the first choice for asylum applicants for the fourth quarter in a row, with an increase of 15 percent over the third quarter.