More than 10,000 migrants have claimed asylum after arriving on a visa route which was “abused on an industrial scale”, new figures have revealed.
Some 5,600 sought safety in 2024 after arriving within the UK on a well being and social care visa.
And Home Office statistics, first obtained by the Daily Mail below the Freedom of Information Act, present how the disaster of migrants claiming refuge after arriving legally is intensifying.
In 2024, 5,669 claimed asylum after arriving on the well being and social care visa, up from 856 in 2023, and 36 in 2022.
In the primary 9 months of final 12 months, there have been 3,671 claims.
It implies that over 5 years there have been 10,236 asylum claims by overseas care employees.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp slammed the disaster, declaring that folks ought to depart when their “care visas expire”.
He mentioned: “These social care visas have been massively abused on an industrial scale to get into the UK,’ he said.
“Many who came brought multiple dependants and many never even worked in the care sector – if they even worked at all.
“When care visas expire, the people concerned should leave the UK unless they find high-paid alternative work.
“It is sick that over 10,000 likely bogus asylum have been made to enable these people to cheat the system and stay here.”
He added: “The asylum test should be made a lot tougher so only people genuinely in personal danger get asylum.
“Most social care visas were given to people from safe countries, so the vast majority of these asylum claims are likely to be bogus.
“They should be rejected and the people concerned returned to their country of origin as quickly as possible.”
In a rising loophole in Britain’s border controls, Home Office knowledge reveals the variety of work migrants who later declare they’re refugees is hovering below Labour.
There had been 13,427 asylum claims lodged within the 12 months to September by work visa holders, up from 9,392 the earlier 12 months.
The most just lately printed knowledge, masking the three months from July to September, noticed asylum claims by overseas employees tip over the 4,000 mark for the primary time, with 4,057.
A file variety of asylum claims – 110,051 within the 12 months to September – is heaping extra stress on the crumbling system.
This has been fuelled by a pointy rise in Channel migrant crossings and a surge in overseas nationals making use of for refuge after arriving on a work, research or customer visa.
Experts from Oxford University’s Migration Observatory mentioned asylum made up 44% of web migration within the 12 months to June. The true determine might be even increased as asylum claims have elevated, while web migration has fallen, within the subsequent three months.
Separate analysis – carried out by the Home Office – confirmed greater than half of refugees are unemployed. The employment charge amongst refugees reaches 45% after two years and 48% after eight, rising fears they are going to the taxpayer much more in advantages.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2157120/Asylum-Labour-Home-Office-migrants-work-health-social-care-visa