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.
Politics
The hoax letter has been circulating on social media, but authorities say they have not received it, and it is not genuine. Read
Politics
During an interview with Conservative shadow policing minister Matt Vickers on Times Radio this morning, there appeared to be some confusion over how the number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels has changed since the general election. Read
A claim we’ve previously fact checked appears to be recirculating on Facebook. Read
Immigration
A post claiming this has been shared widely on Facebook. Read
Thousands have shared a Facebook post falsely claiming “every illegal immigrant” receives a card preloaded weekly with £175, as well as free daily meals. Read
Immigration
A post circulating on social media falsely claims that there are 1.6 million asylum seekers receiving “long term benefits”. Read
Immigration
A figure used by Robert Jenrick MP refers to a study which estimated the lifetime net cost of asylum seekers in the Netherlands, not the UK. Read
Immigration
Rishi Sunak’s claim that small boat crossings are “down by a third” since he became Prime Minister is only true when looking at arrivals in 2023. Read
Immigration
The Prime Minister claimed on social media that the government had achieved its commitment to “clear the backlog of asylum decisions by the end of 2023”. Read
Immigration
A Facebook post calls for “illegal immigrants” to be deterred by stopping benefits—but people in the UK without a right to be here aren’t entitled to benefits already. Read
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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