Unlawful immigration and asylum: are authorities pledges on observe?

The prime minister has made tackling unlawful immigration and “restoring order” to the asylum system a precedence for the federal government.

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to “smash the gangs”. It follows predecessor Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “cease the boats”.

But small boat crossings have reached file ranges for this level within the yr – with about 800 migrants arriving on Wednesday alone.

BBC Confirm seems at key authorities pledges – from ending the usage of asylum resorts to returning extra failed asylum seekers.

Labour promised to “finish asylum resorts, saving the taxpayer billions of kilos” in its normal election manifesto.

The federal government desires to fulfil this pledge by the tip of this Parliament – that means by 2029, except an early election is known as.

Nonetheless, latest figures present there have been extra asylum seekers staying in resorts in March 2025 than on the finish of June 2024, a number of days earlier than the overall election.

On the finish of June, 29,585 individuals have been in resorts. By March, there have been 32,345 – although the quantity has dropped in contrast with December.

The federal government doesn’t frequently publish figures on the variety of precise resorts in use however figures obtained by BBC Confirm present there have been 218 asylum resorts in December, up from 212 in July.

As soon as somebody applies for asylum, they acquire authorized protections whereas awaiting a choice – together with lodging if they can’t assist themselves financially.

Nearly everybody who arrives by small boat claims asylum – they made up a 3rd of all asylum functions over the previous 12 months. One other giant group of claimants have been individuals already within the UK who had overstayed their visas.

The asylum course of determines whether or not an individual can stay within the UK as a result of they’ve a “well-founded worry of persecution” of their house nation.

Since 2020, the federal government has been more and more reliant on resorts, partly as a result of the provision of different varieties of asylum lodging has not stored up with the numbers arriving in small boats.

However utilizing asylum resorts is dear – costing £8m per day in 2023-24.

As of 20 Could, 12,748 individuals had arrived within the UK in small boats – up by practically a 3rd in contrast with this time final yr.

To scale back the variety of crossings, the federal government has pledged to disrupt the people-smuggling gangs behind them.

However it’s unclear how the federal government plans to measure its progress, or when the objective will probably be met.

The Residence Workplace informed us information on actions taken by officers to disrupt legal gangs was “being collected and could also be revealed sooner or later”.

There’s some info on efforts to stop small boat crossings by French authorities – who, underneath a 2023 deal, are receiving £476m from the UK over three years.

They are saying about 24,791 individuals have been prevented from crossing between July 2024 and Could 2025. We have no idea what occurred to them or whether or not they tried to cross once more.

There have been high-profile circumstances of UK-based smugglers being sentenced, together with a person who helped smuggle greater than 3,000 individuals and raids on the continent.

And on the latest UK-EU summit either side pledged to work collectively on discovering options to sort out unlawful immigration.

This consists of individuals who arrive on small boats, or hidden in lorries, and individuals who stay within the UK after their authorized visa expires.

The overwhelming majority of UK immigration is authorized – this consists of individuals who have been granted permission to return to work, examine, declare asylum or for different authorised functions.

Over the previous 12 months about 44,000 individuals entered the UK illegally – about 5% of the practically a million individuals who immigrated to the UK between April 2024 and March 2025.

The federal government has additionally promised “to clear the asylum backlog”.

This refers back to the backlog of claims by asylum seekers who’re ready to listen to whether or not they are going to be granted refugee standing and be allowed to stay within the UK.

Since final summer time, there was a 58% improve in selections on asylum circumstances.

This, mixed with a latest fall in functions has meant the general backlog of asylum circumstances has fallen in contrast with the tip of June 2024.

Underneath Labour, 40% of asylum claims have been granted between January and March 2025.

One other backlog the federal government desires to clear is the mountain of courtroom appeals from asylum seekers following rejected claims.

That backlog has bought worse since final summer time’s election.

There have been about 33,000 circumstances on the finish of June, rising to just about 42,000 in December – the best complete since not less than 2015.

The federal government has additionally promised to “improve returns” of individuals with no authorized proper to be within the UK. It mentioned it could arrange a brand new returns and enforcement unit with 1,000 additional employees.

Between July 2024 (when Labour got here to energy) and Could 2025, there have been 29,867 returns recorded by the Residence Workplace.

That is up 12% in contrast with the identical interval 12 months in the past.

So the federal government is assembly this pledge however it’s value noting that simply 7,893 individuals have been forcibly eliminated – which may contain being escorted on a airplane by an immigration official.

The figures additionally present 8,511 failed asylum seekers have been returned on this interval however they don’t say what number of have been enforced or voluntary.

Separate authorities figures from January to March gave a fuller breakdown exhibiting a lot of those that did go away voluntarily did so with out authorities help and even its information on the time, as BBC Confirm has beforehand identified.

That is regardless of repeated claims from ministers that the federal government has “eliminated” and even “deported” this many individuals.

The Residence Workplace says all returns outcomes are the results of collective efforts by the division.