‘Illegal immigrants’ are not entitled to mainstream benefits in the UK
A claim we’ve previously fact checked appears to be recirculating on Facebook. Read
Fact check
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
Serco has not been instructed to ‘secure all’ empty rentals in UK to house ‘illegal immigrants’
A post claiming this has been shared widely on Facebook. Read
Fact check
‘Illegal immigrants’ do not get £175 every week on a prepaid card
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
Fact check
Immigration
There aren’t 1.6 million asylum seekers claiming benefits in the UK
A post circulating on social media falsely claims that there are 1.6 million asylum seekers receiving “long term benefits”. Read
Fact check
Immigration
Estimate of £400,000 cost per asylum seeker based on the Netherlands, not the UK
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
Fact check
Immigration
Small boat arrivals are higher so far this year compared to 2023
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
Fact check
Immigration
Has the asylum backlog been cleared?
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
Fact check
Immigration
‘Illegal immigrants’ aren’t entitled to benefits in the UK
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 check
Immigration
Does the government’s Rwanda policy only impact ‘failed asylum seekers’?
We’ve looked into the detail of the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, and whether other governments are considering similar schemes. Read
Fact check
Immigration
Lee Anderson claim about Labour migrants ‘deal’ appears to be based on unreliable Conservative party estimate
The Conservative party deputy chair’s claim that Labour’s immigration plans would “give hundreds of thousands of migrants a golden ticket” to the UK is similar to recent comments from other ministers. 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.
Subscribe to weekly email newsletters from Full Fact for updates on politics, immigration, health and more. Our fact checks are free to read but not to produce, so you will also get occasional emails about fundraising and other ways you can help. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy.