Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

More than 50 migrants aged over 30 registered as children on arrival in UK, data shows

As many as 1,500 adult migrants falsely claimed to be children last year.

More than 50 migrants aged over 30 registered as children on arrival in UK, data shows

UK Home Office has said that more than 50 migrants over 30 years were registered as children after lying about their age upon their arrival in Britain in the past decade. 

Data obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) laws has revealed that a total of 52 managed to slip through initial checks as children, before being caught. 


As many as 1,500 adult migrants falsely claimed to be children last year, the highest figure since records began in 2006 and more than four times in 2020.

According to the latest data, 355 migrants a year on average had falsely claimed to be children from 2012-2020.

Media reports said that human traffickers are exploiting legal loopholes to encourage young-looking migrants to destroy their documents as unaccompanied children are more likely to be granted asylum. Also, they are less likely to be detained or removed if their claim is rejected.

The Ministry of Defence said that 606 migrants reached the UK on Wednesday (17) and a total of 4,765 were reached this month. More than 21,000 have crossed the Channel in 2022, double the rate of last year.

Home secretary Priti Patel had already pledged to toughen up age checks. In 2017, terrorist Ahmed Hassan posed as a 16-year-old to enter the UK. Later, he set off a bomb on a Tube train in west London, injuring 23 people.

Alp Mehmet, chair of Migration Watch, described the situation as 'seriously worrying'.

"There is absolutely no excuse for placing people much nearer middle-age than childhood among vulnerable minors. No individual, where doubts about age exist, should be allowed anywhere near vulnerable youngsters, in any setting. The safety of our children has to be paramount," Mehmet told The Telegraph.

Reports said that initial age checks involve migrants being shown a piece of cardboard with 1 to 63 written on it and asked to point at one of the numbers.

Earlier, officials were asked to treat young migrants as children if they are unsure about their age and unless their physical appearance and demeanour strongly suggest they are 25 years or over.

But, Patel tightened and asked for greater scrutiny over anyone who appears to be above 18 and claims as a child. Now, a specialist unit is also being set up to carry out expert assessments of would-be asylum seekers who claim to be under 18.

New laws also allow using X-rays of migrant's bones to confirm age, only on those suspected of lying about their age. The US and some EU countries use similar methods, including dental X-rays. 

More For You

Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

Officials greet newly-elected Prime Minister of Nepal's interim government Sushila Karki (R) as she arrives at the prime minister's office in Kathmandu on September 14, 2025. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

NEPAL’s new interim prime minister Sushila Karki on Sunday (14) pledged to act on protesters’ calls to end corruption and restore trust in government, as the country struggles with the aftermath of its worst political unrest in decades.

“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Karki said in her first address to the nation since taking office on Friday (12). “What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality. We will not stay here more than six months in any situation. We will complete our responsibilities and hand over to the next parliament and ministers.”

Keep ReadingShow less
UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer arrive at Trump International Golf Links on July 28, 2025 in Balmedie, Scotland. (Photo by Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

THE British government has announced over £1.25 billion ($1.69bn) in fresh investment from major US financial firms, including PayPal, Bank of America, Citigroup and S&P Global, ahead of a state visit by president Donald Trump.

The investment is expected to create 1,800 jobs across London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester, and deepen transatlantic financial ties, the Department for Business and Trade said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nearly 150,000 join anti-migrant protest in London as clashes erupt

Protesters wave Union Jack and St George's England flags during the "Unite The Kingdom" rally on Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament on September 13, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Nearly 150,000 join anti-migrant protest in London as clashes erupt

MORE THAN 100,000 protesters marched through central London on Saturday (13), carrying flags of England and Britain and scuffling with police in one of the UK's biggest right-wing demonstrations of modern times.

London's Metropolitan Police said the "Unite the Kingdom" march, organised by anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson, was attended by nearly 150,000 people, who were kept apart from a "Stand Up to Racism" counter-protest attended by around 5,000.

Keep ReadingShow less
Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal recalled that in February, Narendra Modi and Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Trade talks with US moving forward positively, says Indian minister Goyal

INDIA’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that negotiations on the proposed trade agreement between India and the United States, which began in March, are progressing in a positive atmosphere and both sides are satisfied with the discussions.

He recalled that in February, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. (Representational image: iStock)

Woman raped in racially aggravated attack in Oldbury

A WOMAN in her 20s was raped in Oldbury in what police are treating as a racially aggravated attack.

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. Officers said the men made a racist remark during the incident.

Keep ReadingShow less