Asylum seekers and refugees

14 May 2025

‘Home Office letter’ requisitioning former social club for migrants is fake

The hoax letter has been circulating on social media, but authorities say they have not received it, and it is not genuine.

15 November 2024

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.

30 October 2024

‘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.

18 September 2024

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”.

21 August 2024

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.

9 May 2024

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.

12 April 2024

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.

3 January 2024

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”.

15 December 2023

Being an immigrant doesn’t entitle you to get more money from the state than a pensioner

A Facebook post comparing what’s given to immigrants and British pensioners is missing important context.

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30 November 2023

‘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.

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Asylum seekers and refugees

‘Home Office letter’ requisitioning former social club for migrants is fake

Serco has not been instructed to ‘secure all’ empty rentals in UK to house ‘illegal immigrants’

‘Illegal immigrants’ do not get £175 every week on a prepaid card

There aren’t 1.6 million asylum seekers claiming benefits in the UK

Estimate of £400,000 cost per asylum seeker based on the Netherlands, not the UK

Small boat arrivals are higher so far this year compared to 2023

The UK asylum backlog: explained

Has the asylum backlog been cleared?

Being an immigrant doesn’t entitle you to get more money from the state than a pensioner

‘Illegal immigrants’ aren’t entitled to benefits in the UK

Full Fact fights bad information