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.
War 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 MoreResponding To Labour Shortages – Is More Immigration The Answer?
Since leaving the European Union and emerging from the Covid-19 Pandemic, the topic of workforce immigration has rarely been far from the headlines. Whether it is increasing the number of agricultural workers, nurses or hospitality staff…
Learn MoreWhat’s The News On Modern Slavery Abuse Among Asylum Seekers?
In recent years, the amount of modern slavery claims being made by asylum seekers has risen substantially. In 2022, claims reached a high of 17,000 of which just a quarter were for sole UK nationals. Earlier this…
Learn MoreImmigration Rises To 1.3 Million: Visa Grants For Foreigners To Live Here Double In 3 Years
The number of visa grants for people to come and live in the UK has more than doubled from over half a million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022 (see the full Home Office bulletinand our press…
Learn MoreNearly 7 In 10 Of Those Coming In Boats Are Young Men As 500% Increase In Afghan Dinghy Arrivals Helps Drive Surging Illegal Immigration
The figures show that 54,090 people attempted to enter illegally in 2022, and 45,755 of these by small boat. The boat figures are an increase of 1.6 times on the number of people that arrived…
Learn MoreEstimated Cost Of Housing And Payments For Failed Asylum Claimants
What is the estimated cost of supporting asylum seekers and how has it changed? 1. The overall cost of the asylum system is more than £1.3 billion. As part of this spending, the government is required by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (henceforth ‘the 1999 Act’) to provide housing
Only One In Every 42 Illegal Channel Arrivals Returned To Europe
Between 1 January 2019 and 1 October 2020, 237 migrants who crossed the English Channel were returned to mainland Europe. This is just over 2% of of just under 10,000 or so people who have been reported illegally crossing the Channel since the start of 2019 (see our Tracker) – only one in every
Trends In Asylum-related Support And Accommodation
The UK’s asylum system is being overwhelmed and abused (see our paper). One symptom of the beleaguered state of the system is that the number of people housed at taxpayer expense has tripled since 2012. In the year to September, the total number of people housed stood at 60,000 – the population of a small city –
Illegal Channel Crossings Are A Huge Injustice
Illegal Channel crossings have spiralled upwards this year. More people crossed in September 2020 than during all of 2019. It’s part of a larger European debacle which began in earnest with Angela Merkel’s foolhardy invitation in the summer of 2015 to irregular migrants to come to Germany. Nearly 1.9 million people have
Red Wall Constituents Oppose Government’s Immigration Proposals
Migration Watch UK have today published the results of an opinion poll focused on the Red Wall constituencies on which the government’s majority in the House of Commons depends. The poll was conducted in 70 selected constituencies ranging from North Wales across to the North East of England and was
Visa Grants In The Era Of Covid
Initial suggestions are that the visa grants during the Covid period (e.g. Q2 2020) were 90%+ lower than in Q2 2019 (see below). However, it is important to note that the pandemic’s impact on immigration, particularly on work-related immigration, should not be used as the basis for justifying plans that were drawn