Asylum seekers and refugees

Fact checks about refugees and asylum seekers in the UK

31 January 2023

Aspen card does not give asylum seekers £175 a week

Not every asylum seeker is eligible for support payments, and those that are receive much less than has been claimed on Facebook.

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Aspen card does not give asylum seekers £175 a week
31 October 2022

Claims about 47,000 homeless veterans need context

The figure is the estimated number of homeless veterans in 2015 in the United States. We don’t know how many homeless veterans there are in the UK.

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Claims about 47,000 homeless veterans need context
27 October 2022

Asylum seekers in hotels will not receive £57 per week

A Facebook post refers to reports that a hotel in Ipswich is set to be used to house asylum seekers, and claims that they would be paid £57 per week.

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Asylum seekers in hotels will not receive £57 per week
6 October 2022

No evidence small boat arrivals beat NHS waiting lists

A Facebook post claims people arriving in small boats can beat the NHS waiting lists.

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No evidence small boat arrivals beat NHS waiting lists
20 September 2022

Asylum seekers do not get £175 per week on a prepaid card

It’s closer to £175 per person per month.

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Asylum seekers do not get £175 per week on a prepaid card
12 August 2022

Leaked report doesn’t ‘vindicate’ view that most people crossing the Channel on small boats are 'economic migrants'

The Mail on Sunday recently published an article stating that four in 10 people crossing the Channel in small boats are from Albania.

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Leaked report doesn’t ‘vindicate’ view that most people crossing the Channel on small boats are 'economic migrants'
13 July 2022

Claim two-thirds of child asylum seekers are actually adults is false

A Sun article wrongly claimed that two-thirds of people who sought asylum in the UK as unaccompanied children were in fact over 18.

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Claim two-thirds of child asylum seekers are actually adults is false
24 June 2022

Iain Duncan Smith wrong to say successful asylum seekers would return from Rwanda

The terms of the government’s agreement with Rwanda mean that people whose claims for asylum are accepted will be allowed to settle there—not return to the UK.

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Iain Duncan Smith wrong to say successful asylum seekers would return from Rwanda
20 June 2022

EU court didn’t prevent Rwanda flight from taking off

It was the European Court of Human Rights, which isn’t an EU institution.

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EU court didn’t prevent Rwanda flight from taking off
13 June 2022

How much do asylum seekers living in hotels get to live on per week?

Some are eligible to receive £8 per week to cover costs for items not provided by their accommodation.

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How much do asylum seekers living in hotels get to live on per week?

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