UK Sends Immigration Experts to West Africa to Combat Fake Visas and Asylum Seekers

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy has escalated security measures to prevent migrants with false visas from reaching the UK. Amid a surge in asylum applications, Labour is under pressure to tackle the issue. Officials in West Africa have reported a significant rise in people attempting to enter Britain with fake student and healthcare visas. British officials are working with local police to crack down on people smugglers and improve security checks with airlines. Lammy emphasized the need for international cooperation and strengthened partnerships to secure the UK's borders. The Foreign Office has dispatched experts to Ghana and Nigeria to tackle organized crime groups supplying false travel documents.

Key Takeaways:

• The Foreign Office has sent immigration experts to Ghana and Nigeria to strengthen partnerships and counter people smugglers.
• Over 250 would-be asylum seekers were stopped last year for attempting to enter the UK with fake visas, primarily from sub-Saharan Africa.
• Student and health and social care visas are among the most commonly forged documents used by asylum seekers.
• The number of asylum claims in the year to June 2023 reached 111,000, a 14% increase and the highest since 2002.
• The UK has seen a rise in the number of migrants accommodated in hotels, with 32,059 in the first 12 months of Labour's term in office.
• The Prime Minister is under increasing pressure to reduce illegal migration, with Reform pledging to run five deportation flights per day if it wins power.
• The Foreign Office is working with local authorities to trace and dismantle organized crime groups running smuggling routes in West Africa.
• The UK's efforts aim to disrupt pathways for irregular migration and secure the country's borders, in line with the Plan for Change.

Statistics:

• 111,000 asylum claims in the year to June 2023, a 14% increase and the highest since 2002 (source: Labor government).
• 14% increase in asylum claims compared to the previous year (source: Labor government).
• 32,059 migrants accommodated in hotels in the first 12 months of Labor's term in office (source: Labor government).
• 250 would-be asylum seekers stopped last year for attempting to enter the UK with fake visas (source: UK government).
• 2002: the previous peak of 103,000 asylum claims (source: Labor government).
• 56,000 migrants in hotels in 2023, the peak before Labor's term (source: Labor government).

Sources:

• Labor government
• UK government
• Reform