BBC Home Explore the BBC   Asylum Seekers  Last Updated:
Thursday April 09 2009 11:41 GMT  Why do asylum seekers leave
home?   Many asylum seekers flee their own country because there
is a civil war there or because their human rights are not being
respected.  The top five countries that people came to the UK
from in 2007 were:    • Afghanistan (2,500)   • Iran (2,210)   •
China (2,100)   • Iraq (1,825)   • Eritrea (1,810)  In some
countries, people can be arrested, sent to prison or even
tortured for their religious or political beliefs.  If the
situation in a country changes for the better then there are
often fewer asylum seekers from there.