Home Office pays migrants £53m to leave UK

Home Office said assisted voluntary returns are more cost effective than funding accomodation for those awaiting enforced deportation

The UK has paid migrants £53 million to leave the country over the past four years, The Independent can reveal.

Under a voluntary return scheme run by the government, migrants can receive up to £3,000 as an incentive to return to their home country, as part of what are known as “assisted returns”. They also have their flights paid for as part of the deal.

Assisted returns have been on the rise in recent years, with 2,179 people travelling home this way in 2022 compared to 6,799 people in 2024. Between 2021 and 2024, 13,637 people have taken an assisted return, according to Home Office data.

In the UK, a person can qualify for this money if they are returning to a developing country, are a failed asylum seeker, are a confirmed victim of modern slavery, are sleeping rough or have a medical condition.

In 2024, over half of the foreign nationals who accepted assisted returns were from Brazil, with 3,573 taking up the offer. The second highest nationality was India, with 915 people returning in 2024, and then 271 going back to Honduras.