More than 200,000 migrants are thought to have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel since 2018, according to analysis of government figures. Dozens of migrants were seen arriving in Dover, Kent, on Friday morning, pushing the total number of arrivals since current records began to an estimated 200,000.
Press Association analysis of Government figures from January 1, 2018, 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 on Saturday, are likely to confirm the milestone.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the immigration system as “totally broken,” stating: “Labour are failing to remove illegal immigrants, so it is no wonder they keep flooding in, as they know they will almost certainly get to stay. Among them are many who go on to commit serious crimes, including murder, rape, and the sexual assault of young girls. This situation is a disgrace.”
Two women died while trying to cross the Channel last Sunday, following six other fatalities in April. Successive governments have collaborated with France to disrupt crossings and revised asylum rules to deter people from making the dangerous journey.
Last month, Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year deal with Paris to pay £662 million to boost beach patrols in an effort 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 deal to send migrants who crossed the Channel from France to Rwanda. Only four volunteers were sent before the policy was abandoned. The move has sparked a legal battle, with Rwanda seeking to sue Britain for more than £100 million, claiming breach of contract—a claim UK lawyers deny.
The number of migrants making the journey started at very low levels, with just 299 arrivals recorded in 2018. In December of that year, then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid cut short a Christmas break to declare a “major incident” after 45 migrants crossed on Christmas Day. The annual total increased to 1,843 in 2019, 8,466 in 2020, 28,526 in 2021, and 45,774 in 2022—the highest in a calendar year to date. Arrivals fell to 29,437 in 2023, before rising to 36,816 in 2024 and 41,472 in 2025.
While the volume of migrants reaching the UK across the Channel has varied yearly, there has been a steady increase since 2018 in the number of people per boat. The average was seven migrants per boat in 2018, rising to 11 in 2019, 13 in 2020, 28 in 2021, 41 in 2022, 49 in 2023, 53 in 2024, and 62 in 2025. The average so far in 2026 is 64.
There is no official record of fatalities in the Channel, but 2024 appears to be the deadliest year so far, with 50 deaths recorded by the French coastguard. At least 17 people died while attempting the journey in 2025, according to French and UK authorities. The International Organisation for Migration has also reported more migrant deaths believed to be linked to crossing attempts. The first known migrant to drown while attempting the crossing was a 31-year-old Iranian woman, Mitra Mehrad, in August 2019.
