Britain Leads Europe in Illegal Immigration Amid Raging Migrant Crisis – Survey

There are currently an estimated 745,000 unauthorized immigrants in the United Kingdom, according to Oxford University research cited by UK media.

In other words, illegal arrivals account for one in 100 of Britain’s population. This includes migrants who crossed the English Channel in small boats, failed asylum seekers, and migrants who have overstayed their visas.

The UK’s migrant numbers top those of Germany (up to 700,000), Spain (469,000), Italy (458,000), and France (300,000).

The total number of people crossing the Channel into the UK in 2024 has grown by 5% since September 2023, and is currently at 26,612 people in 503 boats.

Another dismal record of daily arrivals for 2024 was set on October 5, as 973 migrants in 17 small boats crossed the English Channel, per the Home Office.

Four of Saturday’s illegals died while trying to cross the Channel, including a small child, French authorities confirmed. Data also showed there was an overall backlog of 224,742 asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their claim or appealing its rejection.

Policymakers need to be aware of the scale of the illegal migrant problem, said Denis Kierans, senior researcher at Oxford’s COMPAS migration center, as “these are people who are living and working in the UK, but who are operating outside the mainstream tax and benefits system. What that means is the state is missing out on their contributions to the public purse while they end up at the fringes of society, at risk of exploitation and destitution.”