Immigration statistics

Fact checks including the reporting of statistical immigration, migration and migrants

25 October 2023

How does the number of migrant returns compare to the past?

The number of people being returned from the UK, including asylum seekers, foreign national offenders and others, is up since 2020, but is relatively low compared to earlier years.

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How does the number of migrant returns compare to the past?
14 March 2023

The asylum backlog is far higher now than when Labour left government

The home secretary told Parliament the current backlog bears “no comparison” to the situation in 2010, and that Labour would be “found wanting” in any comparison.

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The asylum backlog is far higher now than when Labour left government
10 March 2023

No evidence to support Rishi Sunak’s asylum backlog claim

The Prime Minister said there were 6,000 fewer people in the “asylum backlog”—but the latest published figures show a large rise in the number of people waiting for applications to …

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No evidence to support Rishi Sunak’s asylum backlog claim
22 November 2022

No published data to support minister’s claim about migrants saying they’re under 18

Robert Jenrick’s claim that up to 20% of adult men arriving at an asylum processing centre say they’re under 18 has prompted new questions about the Home Office’s use of …

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No published data to support minister’s claim about migrants saying they’re under 18
12 October 2022

Evidence for claim that 60% of small boat arrivals are Albanian not yet published

The figure has been used by Priti Patel in Parliament and a number of times in the media, but it isn’t yet supported by published government statistics.

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Evidence for claim that 60% of small boat arrivals are Albanian not yet published
16 August 2022

Telegraph ‘migrant’ graph only captures fraction of arrivals in the UK

A graph published by the Telegraph misses hundreds of thousands of people who moved to the UK to live, study and work in 2021.

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Telegraph ‘migrant’ graph only captures fraction of arrivals in the UK
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'
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
21 May 2020

It’s likely that over 100,000 people have entered the UK since the lockdown began

Government estimates on arrivals are opaque, but recent figures suggest 100,000 is an underestimate.

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It’s likely that over 100,000 people have entered the UK since the lockdown began
21 August 2019

EU immigration to the UK has been bigger than we thought

Official estimates of migration to and from the UK have been wrong for several years, and have lost their quality mark as a result.

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EU immigration to the UK has been bigger than we thought

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