Published on 30/12/2024 21:19
Reading time: 1min – video: 2min
United Kingdom: what future for migrants who manage to cross the Channel?
United Kingdom: what future for migrants who manage to cross the Channel?
(France 2)
The year 2024 will have been the deadliest since 2018 for migrants seeking to travel to the United Kingdom. For those who pass the passage, what happens next? Do they find the long-awaited El Dorado?
A 35-year-old Syrian, met by France Télévisions, risked his life to cross the Channel on an inflatable boat. Today, he focuses on his English classes. While awaiting an interview for his asylum application, he is housed in a hotel by the British Home Office. “When I was in France, the police spent their time chasing us away. You can’t imagine how peaceful I feel here,” he confides.
In the United Kingdom, seven out of ten asylum applications are granted at first instance, twice as many as in France. However, not everyone benefits from good conditions. According to the associations, some applicants live up to ten per room, sometimes without windows or in establishments infested with rats. Until the summer of 2024, the British state housed migrants on a barge described as a floating prison.
Before obtaining refugee status, it is sometimes necessary to wait several years, during which asylum seekers are prohibited from working. Many, however, risk it clandestinely.
Watch the full report in the video above
UK Home Office
La Cimade: 2023 assessment of asylum requests registered in France
Non-exhaustive list
