Get the facts on asylum seekers and refugees

7 November 2023

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.

3 October 2023

Have UN asylum rules ‘created 780 million refugees’?

Headlines about the home secretary’s speech last week were misleading, with the think tank figure she quoted a broad estimate for the number of people who may have a “notional” right to move country.

22 September 2023

It’s not true that 50% of child asylum seekers turn out to be adults

Reform UK party leader Richard Tice wrongly claimed in a social media post that 50% of children seeking asylum were found to be adults.

25 August 2023

BBC article overstated increase in asylum application withdrawals

The BBC has corrected an article which claimed only 60 asylum cases were withdrawn over a 12 month period after being contacted by Full Fact.

24 August 2023

The government is spending £6 million a day on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers

Lee Anderson appeared to suggest the government is spending £7 million a day on hotels for asylum seekers.

15 August 2023

The number of asylum seekers in hotels has increased

The number of “legacy backlog” cases has fallen over the year to date, while the number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels has increased.

11 August 2023

Current safe and legal routes to the UK do not involve applying for asylum

The Prime Minister claimed in a video that he is ensuring the only way to come to the UK for asylum will be via safe and legal routes. We looked into the existing routes for seeking asylum or resettle

4 July 2023

Immigration minister’s claims about refugees in Scotland need clarification

The Home Office declined to comment on what Robert Jenrick MP meant when he said the SNP “does not house refugees in Scotland”. Whether he was exaggerating or not, it is not true.

6 June 2023

The total asylum initial decision backlog has increased since December

The home secretary’s claim that the backlog is down by 17,000 refers only to applications made before 28 June 2022.

17 May 2023

How many refugees does the UK resettle compared to other European countries?

Robert Jenrick said that the UK is second only to Sweden in the number of refugees accepted through resettlement schemes. This is true of European countries but doesn’t tell the whole story.

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Asylum seekers and refugees

Lee Anderson claim about Labour migrants ‘deal’ appears to be based on unreliable Conservative party estimate

Have UN asylum rules ‘created 780 million refugees’?

It’s not true that 50% of child asylum seekers turn out to be adults

BBC article overstated increase in asylum application withdrawals

The government is spending £6 million a day on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers

The number of asylum seekers in hotels has increased

Current safe and legal routes to the UK do not involve applying for asylum

Immigration minister’s claims about refugees in Scotland need clarification

The total asylum initial decision backlog has increased since December

How many refugees does the UK resettle compared to other European countries?

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