Research note

Qualitative evidence on human smuggling and the asylum system in Austria suggests that there are strong links between the two phenomena. This paper asks whether there is also statistical evidence to support this presumption. Using data on the asylum system as well as on apprehension of illegal migrants in Austria, this question is addressed by looking at the nationalities of asylum‐seekers and illegal as well as smuggled migrants. Apprehended illegal migrants do indeed apply for asylum quite frequently, a fact that also shows up in statistics on the nationalities of asylum‐seekers. In addition, those nationalities that have been identified as having been smuggled into Austria most frequently are also among those that have the highest rates of disappearance during the asylum procedures. Moreover, the tendency to ‘disappear’ before a decision is made is not linked to the chances to be granted asylum in Austria as expressed by recognition rates.