LONDON: There was a 60% increase in Indian nationals making the dangerous English Channel crossing on small boats in 2023, making Indians the ninth-largest cohort which arrived in this manner after paying smugglers in Calais hundreds of pounds to do so. The vast majority of Indians are males aged 18 to 39 who then make asylum claims.
Office of National Statistics’ latest data, released Thursday, shows that in 2023, 1,192 Indians arrived in UK illegally on small boats.This is a 60% increase from 2022 when 748 Indians crossed on small boats. In the past two years, numbers have risen exponentially compared to 2021 when 67 crossed, and 2020 when 64 crossed. In 2018 and 2019 no one from India arrived via this route.
The top eight nationalities to arrive by small boats in 2023 ahead of India were from Afghanistan (5,545), Iran (3,562), Turkey (3,040), Eritrea (2,662), Iraq (2,545), Syria (2,280), Sudan (1,612), and Vietnam (1,323). There were far less arrivals from Pakistan in 2023, numbering just 103. A total of 29,438 illegal migrants arrived this way in 2023 on 602 boats, a 36% drop from 2022 when 45,774 came this way on 1,110 boats.
The most common boats used are rigid-hulled inflatable boats, dinghies and kayaks.
Between Jan and March 2023, 663 Indian small boat arrivals made asylum claims, of which 648 were male and 571 were men aged 18 to 39. Between April and June 2023, 194 Indians made asylum claims, of which 188 were male and 154 were men aged 18 to 39.
Office of National Statistics’ latest data, released Thursday, shows that in 2023, 1,192 Indians arrived in UK illegally on small boats.This is a 60% increase from 2022 when 748 Indians crossed on small boats. In the past two years, numbers have risen exponentially compared to 2021 when 67 crossed, and 2020 when 64 crossed. In 2018 and 2019 no one from India arrived via this route.
The top eight nationalities to arrive by small boats in 2023 ahead of India were from Afghanistan (5,545), Iran (3,562), Turkey (3,040), Eritrea (2,662), Iraq (2,545), Syria (2,280), Sudan (1,612), and Vietnam (1,323). There were far less arrivals from Pakistan in 2023, numbering just 103. A total of 29,438 illegal migrants arrived this way in 2023 on 602 boats, a 36% drop from 2022 when 45,774 came this way on 1,110 boats.
The most common boats used are rigid-hulled inflatable boats, dinghies and kayaks.
Between Jan and March 2023, 663 Indian small boat arrivals made asylum claims, of which 648 were male and 571 were men aged 18 to 39. Between April and June 2023, 194 Indians made asylum claims, of which 188 were male and 154 were men aged 18 to 39.