Migrants living in makeshift camps in northern France who are trying to reach Britain take an average of four years to get here, research has found.
A thousand migrants are estimated to be living around Calais and Dunkirk, where they stay for two to six months, the French Red Cross said.
The findings, which have been handed to The Times, reveal that the vast majority come from countries with high rates of persecution, violence or conflict in the Middle East and Africa.
The complex migrant crisis in the Channel
A further 89 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Thursday, taking the total this year to 5,262 — more than double the number that had arrived by this time last year.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, has announced plans to
