The UK Border Force brings people ashore at Dover Harbour who were attempting to get to Britain in four boats. EPA
The UK Border Force brings people ashore at Dover Harbour who were attempting to get to Britain in four boats. EPA
The UK Border Force brings people ashore at Dover Harbour who were attempting to get to Britain in four boats. EPA
The UK Border Force brings people ashore at Dover Harbour who were attempting to get to Britain in four boats. EPA

Afghans ‘largest group’ crossing English Channel as asylum claims soar


Paul Carey
  • English
  • Arabic

People fleeing Afghanistan made up almost a quarter of the migrants crossing the English Channel in the first three months of 2022, as the number of asylum claims made in the UK has climbed to its highest in nearly two decades.

The backlog of applications waiting to be determined continues to soar, while the government's plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda has been delayed due to court action.

Out of 4,540 people detected arriving by small boats from January to March 2022, about 24 per cent (1,094) were Afghan citizens, Home Office figures indicated.

This was the most out of any nationality recorded, followed by 16 per cent who were Iranian (722) and 15 per cent (681) Iraqi..

The rise has prompted concerns from campaigners that the government’s resettlement scheme, set up after the Taliban takeover, is failing and raised questions over whether Afghans could be at risk of being deported to Rwanda because they could be deemed to have arrived in the UK illegally under new immigration rules.

The average number of migrants on board each boat crossing the Channel almost doubled in the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2021, up from 18 to 32.

Crossings took place on 30 out of the 90 days.

A total of 9,330 migrants have reached the UK after navigating busy shipping lanes from France in small boats such as dinghies since the start of this year, analysis of government data by the PA news agency indicates.

Hope Hostel LTD, preparing to welcome migrants from the UK, in Kigali, Rwanda. AFP
Hope Hostel LTD, preparing to welcome migrants from the UK, in Kigali, Rwanda. AFP

A total of 28,526 people made the crossing in 2021, compared with 8,466 in 2020, 1,843 in 2019 and 299 in 2018, according to official figures.

Meanwhile, there were 55,146 asylum applications in the UK in the year to March 2022 – the highest number for any 12-month period since the year to September 2003, when the total stood at 61,343.

The number of applications from lone migrant children is also at its highest level for any 12-month period since records began in 2006. A total of 4,081 applications from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were made in the year to March 2022.

The increase in applications was “likely linked in part to the easing of global travel restrictions that were in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to a sharp increase in small boat arrivals to the UK”, the Home Office report said.

At the end of March 2022, there were 109,735 people awaiting an initial decision on their case, 66 per cent higher than the previous year when 66,185 people were waiting.

This is more than double the number in March 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic began (51,906) and is a new all-time high since current records began in June 2010.

The figures come as the Home Office announced it was setting up an action group to look at how to speed up the processing of asylum claims in a bid to increase the number of decisions made on cases on a weekly basis.

Amnesty International UK accused the Home Secretary of “disastrous leadership” over the figures, describing the Home Office as “becoming a byword for backlogs and dysfunction”.

Marley Morris, from think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said: “Today’s migration stats show a shocking rise in the number of Afghans arriving in the UK on small boats. The government has said it is giving Afghans a ‘warm welcome’, but these figures reveal that many have felt they have been left with no option but to take this dangerous route to make it to the UK.

“Now the government’s new plans in response to the Channel crossings could mean that Afghan asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda. This would be an unimaginably awful outcome for people who have already faced such great hardship.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dungeness, Kent, on board a lifeboat. PA
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dungeness, Kent, on board a lifeboat. PA

“Contrary to the government’s claims, there are few safe routes for people forced into small boats to make it to the UK.”

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “The sharp increase in the numbers of people fleeing Taliban atrocities in Afghanistan, having no choice but to make desperate journeys over the Channel to find safety here in the UK, is concerning but unsurprising.

“This increase is the inevitable consequence of the restrictive nature of the Afghanistan resettlement schemes, for which the vast majority of Afghans are simply ineligible.

“The government must honour the promises they made to the people of Afghanistan by immediately ensuring the most vulnerable people in the country are able to access a safe route to the UK, so they are not forced to risk their lives in order to find safety here.”

Dr Peter William Walsh, senior researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said: “The arrival of Afghans in small boats on the UK coast indicates that many more wish to find protection here than are able to do so under the UK government’s existing schemes.”

The government pledged to resettle 20,000 refugees, with as many as 5,000 in the first year under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

It relocated the first people on January 6, 2022 under the scheme almost six months after the Taliban took over Kabul in August. But questions remain over its progress.

This week, a British Army interpreter who has campaigned for the UK to evacuate his family from Kabul said Britain was continuing to “forget” about the people left in Afghanistan.

A damning report, released on Tuesday by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, concluded the UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan was a “disaster and betrayal” of British allies that will damage the nation's interests for years to come.

Meanwhile, an estimated 7,000 people have been relocated under the existing Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) which started in April last year and offers priority relocation to the UK for current or former locally employed staff who had been assessed to be under serious threat to life.

Health Valley

Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

The Bio

Name: Lynn Davison

Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi

Children: She has one son, Casey, 28

Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite Author: CJ Sansom

Favourite holiday destination: Bali

Favourite food: A Sunday roast

MATCH INFO

Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
 
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

The biog

Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.

His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.

“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.

"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”

Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.

He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking. 

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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

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If you go

The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road. 

The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
 

Updated: May 26, 2022, 5:29 PM`