UK migration: Afghans and Indians most common nationalities among small boat arrivals

Afghans and Indians represented the highest proportion of people making the perilous crossing across the Channel by small boat to Britain, according to data released by the UK Home Office on Monday. 

A total of 3,793 people travelled across the English Channel from France to the UK in the first three months of 2023, reported the Home Office.

Previously Albanians, Syrians, and Iraqis made up the majority of arrivals. However, this year, Afghans were the biggest group of Channel migrants with 909 arriving (24 percent), followed by Indians at 675 arrivals (18 percent). 

"Latest government figures show Afghans making up most of those on small boats so far this year. People we promised to support [are] being let down - and [are] now to be locked up," said the Refugee Council on Twitter. 

Latest government figures show Afghans making up most of those on small boats so far this year. People we promised to support being let down - and now to be locked up. https://t.co/oJVRX7Mkqv

— Refugee Council 🧡 (@refugeecouncil) April 24, 2023

The UK government has sought to crack down on "irregular" migration, announcing a new policy in March which deems anyone who comes to the UK via small boats automatically inadmissible for claiming asylum. 

The Refugee Council has condemned the policy as inhumane, arguing that those in need of protection will be automatically incarcerated and denied their right under international law to seek refuge. 

In the case of Afghans, the UK government does have relocation schemes for individuals to apply for - created after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. 

However, the two schemes - the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) - have been criticised by refugee charities for being slow and ineffectual. As of February this year, only 22 people had been resettled under a key pathway of ACRS.

"Afghans left stranded after the disastrously executed withdrawal in 2021 will almost always have well-founded protection claims," said Marley Morris, Associated Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research, a progressive think tank. 

"But under the government’s migration bill, any arriving by small boat on or after 7 March will be refused asylum and the Home Secretary will have a duty to remove them. 

"And without countries to send people to, thousands will be trapped in limbo in the UK - unable to be removed and unable to claim asylum," he said. 

As of March 2023, there were 138,052 asylum cases awaiting an initial decision. 

The UK government has threatened to send some asylum seekers who are denied the right to stay in the UK to Rwanda. 

This policy is currently held up in the Court of Appeals as lawyers on behalf of asylum seekers argue why the African country is not a safe place to send vulnerable individuals.