Asylum seekers and refugees

Fact checks about refugees and asylum seekers in the UK

8 April 2022

Historic claim on refugee and pensioner incomes is still wrong

The post also compares Germany’s maximum state pension to the UK’s. Germany’s state pensions are difficult to compare to ours as theirs are based on income whilst the UK’s isn’t.

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Historic claim on refugee and pensioner incomes is still wrong
4 April 2022

No evidence ‘vast majority’ of people crossing Channel in small boats are economic migrants

Research indicates that the majority of people crossing the Channel go on to be granted asylum, but the full picture is not covered by official statistics.

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No evidence ‘vast majority’ of people crossing Channel in small boats are economic migrants
10 March 2022

Home Office claim to have launched first Ukrainian visa scheme lacks context

Many countries taking Ukrainian refugees never required visas in the first place. Others have waived visa schemes entirely.

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Home Office claim to have launched first Ukrainian visa scheme lacks context
13 December 2021

No evidence asylum seekers have used pets to argue against deportation

A previously debunked claim about people being granted the right to live in the UK because they own a pet here has reappeared.

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No evidence asylum seekers have used pets to argue against deportation
30 November 2021

Resettlement figures don’t give us the full picture on refugee numbers

It’s true that the UK has resettled the highest number of refugees since 2015, compared to other European countries.

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Resettlement figures don’t give us the full picture on refugee numbers
30 November 2021

The facts about people seeking asylum in the UK

The number of people applying for asylum in the UK looks to increase slightly this year, but the proportion who are arriving in boats across the Channel has increased significantly.

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The facts about people seeking asylum in the UK
21 October 2021

Picture of refugees on ship isn’t from WWII

A picture on Facebook misidentifies a 1991 picture as one taken during the Second World War.

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Picture of refugees on ship isn’t from WWII
26 August 2021

No evidence Kabul airport video is faked

The fact people are not being blown over is no evidence the footage is faked, as suggested.

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No evidence Kabul airport video is faked
12 August 2021

Higher deportation rates don’t necessarily demonstrate ‘disproportionate targeting’ of Jamaicans

The data is not entirely reliable, and there may be multiple reasons why deportation rates vary, including whether deportation would affect someone’s human rights.

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Higher deportation rates don’t necessarily demonstrate ‘disproportionate targeting’ of Jamaicans
8 October 2020

This viral post on benefits and tax avoidance is inaccurate

It underestimates the spending on benefits for people seeking asylum and uses a disputed estimate of the tax gap to talk about tax avoidance.

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This viral post on benefits and tax avoidance is inaccurate

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