Number of haven seekers nearing in Britain falls by 30%

Passports were given to foreigners at the rate of two a minute last year.

Officials approved a record 203,865 citizenship applications, 58 per cent more than in 2008.

Another 190,000 immigrants were given the right to settle in the UK in 2009 a rise of 30 per cent on the year before.

Citizenship pledge: The number of foreign nationals applying to be British jumped by 30 per cent in the final quarter of last year

Home Office figures show that 1.5million foreigners have become UK citizens since Labour came to power.

In 1997, just 37,010 were granted the status.

Officials claim the massive rises during the past year may have beencaused by migrants rushing to beat the supposedly tougher system ofearned citizenship due to start next year.

From then, obtaining a passport will usually take between six andeight years from a migrants arrival in the UK rather than thecurrent five. More...Immigration minister admits his children have "suffered" because of migrationSix MORE British passports used in "Mossad" assassination of Hamas commander in DubaiTwo hundred people arrested on suspicion of terrorism last year, according to Home Office

The figures also reflect the huge influx into Britain in the early part of the last decade.

These arrivals are now reaching the stage where they can apply for passports.

Damian Green, Tory immigration spokesman, said: ;It is now clearthat immigration has been running out of control throughout thelifetime of this Government.

A raft of statistics released yesterday showed that huge numbers ofstudents continue to pour into the UK despite concerns about boguscolleges and visas.

In the final three months of 2009, 61,715 student visas were issued an astonishing rise of 92 per cent on the same period in 2008.