How many illegal migrants have been ‘removed’ by the government?published at 15:40 GMT
15:40 GMT
Nicholas Barrett
BBC Verify researcher
The team also watches PMQs each week to keep track of claims made in the Commons. Today, while discussing illegal immigration, Sir Keir Starmer said the government has “already removed nearly 60,000 people with no right to be here”.
He was referring to last week’s Home Office figures, external that showed there have been a total of 58,539 “returns” since Labour won the general election.
The Home Office uses the term “returns” to cover anyone who leaves the UK after losing the right to live or work here. That can happen for a range of reasons, including an expired visa, a refused asylum claim, or a criminal conviction leading to deportation.
But not all of these people have been “removed”. These figures include people who leave the UK on their own, sometimes with financial support from the government – some qualify for up to £3,000 to help with resettlement costs. Some of those who leave voluntarily do so without the Home Office’s knowledge at the time.
Of the people the government claims to have removed in the latest figures, 43,000 left voluntarily after being told they were in the UK illegally. Only 15,200 were removed by force. The number of returns also fell in January, driven largely by a drop in voluntary returns.