Blogs
We publish blogs that draw on data and research, and through them we inform debate, spark discussion, and explore the wider implications of current developments.
Analysis, Commentary and Research Updates
Explore our latest publications on immigration and asylum policies. Stay informed with well-researched insights.
Don’t Be Fooled – This Government Is Not In Control Of Illegal Immigration
The Home Office today (9th September) issued a press release titled, ‘For the first time, small boat migrants arriving in the UK face being detained and returned to France’. Promising title – but is it…
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Cutting Student Visas: Bringing Migration Under Control
The numbers speak for themselves. In 2024, student visas accounted for 45% of all UK entry visas issued – the single largest route for legal migration. This surge is no accident. In 2019, ministers set…
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Migration Is Changing Your Area – Just Look At These Numbers.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released its official estimates for the population of England and Wales yesterday, and the results make for dire reading. Already the headlines are coming in thick and fast: “Migration fuels population…
Learn MoreA Shocking Year, Strewn With Failure. Pull Your Socks up or go!
It’s been exactly one year since Labour won the 2024 General Election. Given that “immigration and asylum” was the second-most important issue for voters at the time – and by far the most important issue for Conservative…
Learn MoreWar In Iran Will Only Make Britain’s Migration Crisis Worse
The regional fallouts of the conflict engulfing Iran are yet to reveal themselves, but one catastrophic consequence is definitely not in doubt: Britain’s migration crisis will further deepen. Iran is already the nation from which…
Learn MoreIs The Prime Minister’s Plan Working?
Can the government stop the boats? Speaking in Dover today, the Prime Minister gave an update on his pledge to stop small boats crossing the English Channel. Illegal crossings, he said, are down 20 per…
Learn MoreA Passage From India – Explaining The Unexpected Rise Of Indians Crossing The Channel
This week the government disclosed that in 2023 Indians have been the second largest group of people illegally crossing the English Channel in small boats, making up 18 per cent of all crossings. Although the increase…
Learn MoreFrom Baghdad To Bournemouth – Granting Refuge To Terrorists
It emerged in the Daily Mail recently that among those who illegally entered the UK in a dinghy last year were 19 suspected terrorists, several of whom are thought to have been members of the…
Learn MoreDoes Britain Think Immigration Is Too High?
Polling is central to modern politics. For governments, it is a means of testing public reaction to policies. More and more nowadays it is done with focus groups to test the popularity or otherwise of…
Learn MoreThe Fact That We Lost Control Of Asylum Numbers 20 Years Ago Is No Good Reason For Repeating The Experience
Asylum claims are running at 44,000 per year when main applicants and dependants are considered (year to September 2021 – Home Office data). Former senior diplomat Lord Kerr of of Kinlochard claims that asylum claims are at half the level of 20 years ago (Lords Hansard 25 Nov 2021 Col
Illegal Channel Crisis – 3 Key Facts To Remember
Here are three key facts to remember about the illegal immigration crisis in the Channel, which has seen over 28,400 people come in the past year, and a total of 40,000 since 2018. 1. Many people crossing the Channel destroy their identity documents. This risks security and calls into question the good
Now Judges Make It Even Harder To Tackle People Smuggling
A common question from members of the public is: “How many people are convicted of people’s smuggling in the UK?” There is no specific criminal offence of “people smuggling” on the UK statute books, but the Home Office holds information on the number of charges and convictions as a result
Asylum Abuse By Adults Pretending To Be Children
Summary (for a shorter summary of this paper click here). 1. The system for checking the age of asylum claimants is so loose that it gives the benefit of the doubt to those saying without proof that they are minors. In the midst of this, there has been a major rise in
Surging Illegal Boat Crossings Drive Record Spike In Asylum Age Fraud
There has been a significant rise in cases of asylum fraud by adults pretending to be children. Analysis of Home Office statistics by Migration Watch UKshows that, where age was disputed and resolved in the past year, 1,118 people who claimed to be children were found to be 18 years
Many If Not Most Of Those Crossing The Channel Destroy Their Identity Documents
Deliberate destruction of documentation by tens of thousands crossing the Channel in boats without prior permission must be treated as prima facie evidence of asylum abuse where such persons seek protection (as 98% do). Such actions are already a criminal offence. Yet we increasingly take tens of thousands of people in who