Almost 400 migrants have arrived in the UK this year after the busiest day of Channel crossings since the start of 2025. According to the Home Office, 260 people crossed in five boats on Monday – the third day of crossing in January.
The latest figures bring the provisional total number of arrivals for the year to 388. It comes just days after the government confirmed the first death this year of a migrant trying to reach Britain from the French coast.
The French coastguard said 35 people were rescued in the Channel overnight on Friday. Media reports said the Syrian was crushed by other people on a leaking boat.
Last year there was no crossing until January 13, when 124 people made the journey.
Separate figures released on Tuesday by EU border agency Frontex show there were 67,552 attempts to cross the Channel into the UK last year, a 9 per cent increase on 2023.
This includes migrants who did not reach the English coast, having been intercepted shortly after sailing or turned back midway by French authorities.
According to the data, the most common nationalities of migrants trying to reach the UK across the Channel were Afghans, Syrians and Vietnamese.
Frontex also reported that the number of illegal EU border crossings in 2024 fell by 38 per cent compared to 2023. This was driven by a 59% year-on-year decline in arrivals through the central Mediterranean due to fewer departures from Tunisia and Libya, as well as a 78% decline on the route through the western Balkans due to repression by local countries.
The number of migrants arriving in the EU via the eastern Mediterranean rose by 14 per cent, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Egypt, Frontex said.
