Channel migrant crossings for 2025 highest in three years

More than 41,000 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats in 2025 – almost 5,000 more than the previous year.

Home Office figures, with just New Year’s Eve to add, showed the total number of migrants crossing the Channel in the past year was 41,472, marking a 13% rise on the 36,566 for the previous 12 months.

The annual total was the highest since 2022, when nearly 46,000 crossed, with the final total expected to be confirmed later.

The government says it has already removed 50,000 people who were in the UK illegally and is working more closely with the French government.

Figures from the Home Office showed there have been no crossings since 20 December, when more than 800 people made the journey.

December 2025 saw a gap of 28 days without any crossings, and some observers said that was due to strong winds in the Channel.

That ended with 803 people arriving on 21 December, a record for a single day in the month.

The last arrivals since then were on 22 December, when 17 people were brought ashore at Dover.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of small boat crossings are shameful and the British people deserve better.

“This government is taking action. We have removed almost 50,000 people who were here illegally, and our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.”