An immigration judge has ruled that an Eritrean migrant, whose physical characteristics led officials to believe he was an adult, was in fact a child at the time of his arrival in the United Kingdom.

The man, who has not been publicly named, reportedly provided five different dates of birth to authorities after being stopped from entering Britain on multiple occasions. He eventually entered the UK in February 2024 by hiding in a refrigerated truck.

Immigration officials had assessed him as an adult based on his "inconsistent" dates of birth and his physical appearance, which included a "protruding Adam's apple, wrinkles under his eyes, and a five o'clock shadow." These factors, combined with observations of beard growth in photographs taken days apart, contributed to the assessment that he was over 18 and therefore not entitled to child welfare benefits.

However, an asylum hearing in Hillingdon, London, concluded that the man was 16 years old when he entered the UK. The Home Office has been ordered to pay the migrant, now 19, £10,000 in legal costs.

According to the notes, the migrant's journey to the UK involved living with his mother in Eritrea before her death, subsequent trafficking in Libya, and travel across Europe. His initial attempts to enter the UK in February 2024, including at the port of Dunkirk near the Channel Tunnel, resulted in refusal. During these encounters, he provided varying names and dates of birth.

Upon his eventual entry into Britain via Folkestone, he claimed asylum and stated his date of birth as April 2007. This conflicted with an age assessment that listed his date of birth as April 1996. Throughout the process, he maintained his claim to be born in April 2007.

During the tribunal, Upper Tribunal Judge Gaenor Bruce considered the evidence regarding the applicant's appearance. While acknowledging the migrant's beard and its use as a social media avatar, the judge noted that physical maturity varies significantly among individuals. The judge stated that "children mature at wildly different rates and it is entirely possible for boys as young as 15 to have fully established facial hair." Ultimately, the judge found insufficient grounds based on appearance alone to dispute the claimant's age and ruled he was 16 upon arrival, ordering him to be treated as a child.