The UK Home Office has paid out up to £3,000 each to nearly 9,000 Brazilian migrants to voluntarily return to their home country, primarily those who have overstayed their visas. This initiative, part of the Voluntary Returns Service, has cost taxpayers an estimated £40 million over the past two years.
In total, 20,365 migrants from various nationalities have accepted the incentive to leave the UK. These payments are intended to cover travel and living expenses for individuals who are failed asylum seekers, visa overstayers, or those without the legal right to remain in Britain. While Brazilians represent the largest group, other nationalities accepting the offer include 3,629 Indians, 746 Colombians, and 468 Hondurans.
However, the scheme appears to have had little impact on migrants arriving via small boats. Among those nationalities with the highest numbers of small-boat arrivals, only a small fraction have utilized the assisted returns program. These include seven Eritreans, 11 Sudanese, 14 Afghans, three Somalis, and 77 Iranians.
The average payout under the current Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has risen to £1,964, a significant increase compared to the final two years of the previous Conservative government. The maximum payment of £3,000 is typically reserved for families and vulnerable individuals.
Critics argue that the policy is an expensive way to avoid addressing the core issue of illegal immigration. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp stated that Labour is paying individuals to leave rather than preventing their arrival, highlighting that only seven percent of those arriving by dinghy are being returned. He contrasted this with the Conservative Party's proposal to forcibly deport illegal immigrants, thus eliminating the need for such payments.
Furthermore, the Home Office has piloted a scheme offering failed asylum seekers and their families up to £40,000 to leave the country. These offers require a seven-day acceptance period, with payments issued on pre-paid debit cards after departure, alongside flights home. Home Office sources indicate that these assisted voluntary returns are more cost-effective than forced removals, which incur higher expenses and require escorts.
A Home Office spokesperson asserted that encouraging voluntary returns provides better value for taxpayers than funding hotels or forced removals, leading to millions in savings. The department reported a more than 50 percent increase in returns of individuals without the right to remain in the UK, including a nearly 65 percent rise in returns for small boat arrivals under the current administration.