What was claimed
A video shows asylum seekers arriving at a beach in Dover via small boats.
Our verdict
This isn’t true. The video doesn’t show a beach in Dover, but appears to be a popular beach in Goa, India.
Viral video does not show migrants at the beach in Dover
A video which is being widely shared on social media with claims it shows migrants on a Dover beach is misleading.
The clip, which has been circulating on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, shows a large number of people on a long sandy beach, and includes a voiceover which says: “You won’t believe this guys. We’re having a day at Dover and the asylum seekers, it’s crazy.
“They’re just all coming in, they are. They’re all just flooding in. Look, all the boats, it’s just asylum seekers everywhere.
“Look at the boats out there waiting to come in—this is Dover. They’re all going to be living with you soon guys. We’re all going to be paying for all of these.
“There’s millions. This is just in one afternoon, this. They’re giving them credit cards here, the mobile phones over there.”
However, this claim that the beach shown is in Dover, England, is false.
While we have not been able to trace the original video, it appears to have been filmed in Goa, India. This is also evidenced by several men on the beach visible at 47 and 58 seconds into the video wearing t-shirts which say “I [heart symbol] Goa”.
The geography of the beach matches images available on Google Street View of Calangute beach in Goa.
The popular beach attracts visitors and tourists, both domestic and international, with many Indian families visiting.
While Dover looks like it has sandy beaches, as some comments beneath the videos point out, they are listed as mostly shingle or pebble, although Sandwich Bay also contains sand dunes.
There are sandy beaches down the coast in Kent, but located in and around Folkestone rather than Dover, and none of these beaches resemble the beach in the video.
The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats since the start of 2025 is now more than 15,200, with 1,195 people crossing on 31 May—the highest number in a single day so far this year.
Before sharing videos that you see on social media, take a moment to consider whether they come from a verifiable and trustworthy source. Our toolkit gives advice on how to safely navigate content being shared online, and you can also get the facts on refugees and asylum seekers here.