More than 200,000 migrants are believed to have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel since records began in 2018. Dozens of migrants were seen arriving in Dover, Kent, on Friday morning, pushing the total number of arrivals since January 1, 2018, to an estimated 200,000.
Press Association analysis of government figures shows that as of Thursday, May 7, 199,943 people had arrived in the UK after making the journey. The latest Home Office figures, expected to be published on Saturday, are anticipated to confirm the milestone.
Two women died while trying to cross the Channel last Sunday, following six other fatalities in April. Successive governments have attempted to work with France to disrupt crossings and have revised asylum rules to deter migrants from making the dangerous journey.
Last month, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year deal with Paris worth £662 million to boost beach patrols as part of efforts to curb crossings. She is also the latest Home Secretary to consider overhauling the asylum system to deter crossings and facilitate deportations.
Under the current Labour government, ministers scrapped the Conservatives' multimillion-pound plan to send migrants who crossed the Channel to Rwanda. Only four volunteers were sent before the policy was abandoned. However, the move has sparked a legal dispute, with Rwanda seeking to sue Britain for over £100 million, claiming breach of agreement. UK lawyers deny the claim.
The number of migrants making the journey has risen sharply over the years. In 2018, only 299 arrivals were recorded. The annual total increased to 1,843 in 2019, 8,466 in 2020, 28,526 in 2021, and peaked at 45,774 in 2022. Arrivals fell to 29,437 in 2023, then rose to 36,816 in 2024 and 41,472 in 2025.
The average number of migrants per boat has also increased steadily, from seven in 2018 to 64 so far in 2026. There is no official record of fatalities in the Channel, but 2024 appears to have been the deadliest year, with 50 deaths recorded by the French coastguard. At least 17 people died in 2025, and the International Organisation for Migration has reported more deaths linked to crossing attempts.
The first known migrant to drown while attempting the crossing was Mitra Mehrad, a 31-year-old Iranian woman, in August 2019.
