Immigration
The UK asylum backlog: explained
A guide to the backlog of asylum decisions, and how changes to asylum law have impacted how cases are processed. Read
Analysis
Asylum seekers
Full Fact investigates claims and misinformation about asylum seekers in the UK and beyond.
Our fact checks examine statements from politicians, media reports and social media posts about numbers arriving, government policy, housing, and community impact.
Each article uses transparent data, verified official statistics and expert evidence to clarify what’s accurate, what’s misleading and what’s unproven.
Immigration
Old video shared with misleading suggestion it shows migrants recently crossing into Ceuta
A Facebook video suggesting it shows recent footage of people crossing the border from Morocco into Ceuta actually dates back to May 2021. Read
Fact check
Immigration
Eligible asylum seekers could access support before 2003 court case involving Keir Starmer
In the final days of Sir Keir Starmer’s government, we saw familiar posts circulating on social media claiming that the former prime minister “won the case that gave illegal migrants … Read
Quick check
Immigration
Do 380 ‘illegal boat migrants’ live in Makerfield?
Images circulating on social media show what appears to be a Reform UK leaflet claiming that “380 illegal boat migrants” live in the Makerfield constituency—but this isn’t an official figure. Read
Fact check
Immigration
Dorset police didn’t say 44% of sex offences are carried out by asylum seekers
Dorset Police said the figure is “incorrect” and was not issued by them. We could find no evidence it was true. Read
Fact check
Politics
Are 10% of the UK’s asylum seekers being housed in Scotland?
We’ve looked at the latest figures after spotting this claim from Reform UK in Scottish election leaflets. Read
Fact check
Immigration
Footage of small boat being intercepted by Border Force is fake
The video, which has been viewed over 230,000 times on Facebook, has actually been created with AI. Read
Fact check
Immigration
Video of migrant small boat crossing English Channel is fake
The clip, which has gained over a thousand comments with many believing it to be genuine, doesn’t really show scenes from the English Channel. Read
Fact check
Immigration
How many asylum seekers are being housed in Wales?
Welsh Labour leader Eluned Morgan and the leader of Reform UK in Wales, Dan Thomas, clashed over the number of asylum seekers being housed in Wales during a recent election debate. Read
Fact check
Immigration
AI-generated videos of upturned dinghies in the English Channel circulate online
Six people are known to have died so far in April attempting to cross the English Channel. But viral videos claiming to show overturned dinghies are not real and were made with AI. Read
Fact check
Evidence you can rely on
Fact checking claims made by politicians, public figures and viral online content can give you the full picture backed by the evidence.
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