The UK government’s “one in, one out” deal with France, which was supposed to help deter small boat arrivals, has been scrapped, turning the spotlight back on the contentious issue.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the pilot scheme had “not been without its challenges” and admitted the “numbers are still relatively small”. About “1,500 people have been removed to France since the scheme began just over a year ago”, said the BBC. Mahmood estimated the deal had cost about £56,000 for every person sent back to France. “More than 40,000” migrants arrived in Britain in small boats while the deal was in place, said The Guardian.
As of early October, 19,451 people have been recorded crossing the Channel to the UK in small boats this year, 43% fewer than this time last year, but the arrivals remain a hot political topic.
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What happens when they arrive?
Entering the UK without a visa or valid entry clearance is an offence under British law, carrying a potential prison sentence.
People who arrive in the UK on small boats without prior clearance are intercepted, detained for processing, and then usually enter the asylum system.
Initially, Border Force personnel or the coastguard picks up the boats at sea or meets them when they land on UK shores.
Where are they taken?
Officials take all arrivals by coach to a processing centre, the main one being the former military base at Manston in Kent. There they undergo a temperature check and are searched. Photographs and fingerprints are taken for basic identity checks.
Some are granted immigration bail. They are released and transferred to short-term Home Office accommodation, but those thought to pose a significant risk of harm, or who did not claim asylum, may be transferred to an immigration removal centre. Around 4% of all arrivals between 2018 and 2025 were returned to another country, according to the Migration Observatory.
New arrivals are placed in what the Home Office calls “initial accommodation”. Then they are moved to longer term “dispersal accommodation” – flats or houses of multiple occupation, often in areas such as the North West of England, where housing is cheaper – until an asylum decision has been made. But when this is not available, “contingency accommodation” is used, which is generally hotels.
Children who arrive in Dover on small boats without any family members are known as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. They are initially given temporary homes in reception and safe care centres by Kent County Council, as that is the county they have arrived in. The National Transfer Scheme was introduced in 2016 to encourage all local authorities across the UK to care for UASCs.
What rules apply?
When asylum seekers have been processed, if they are judged to be “destitute”, as most are, they are eligible for accommodation and subsistence while their claims are being assessed. They cannot choose where they live and they must sleep at their designated accommodation every night.
Most are not allowed to work. While their claims are being evaluated they are given a modest weekly allowance – around £49 a week if their accommodation is self-catered or £9.95 if meals are provided. Most temporary migrants are not eligible for mainstream welfare benefits.
