Yep
This is why people trafficking is such a terrible evil. I work for the UK Border Agency, and I have seen all this first hand. These illegal immigrants arrive in the UK with no passport and claim asylum: i.e, they claim that their life is in danger in their country of origin and they demand international protection. Because we are unable to detain them all, the majority of them are released on temporary admission and invited to come back to a substantive asylum interview where they would supposedly tell us in detail about their plight back home and why they have run away. However, significant numbers of people do not attend this interview - and their asylum claim is therefore refused by default.

The reason they do not attend the interview is because in many cases, there really is no persecution back home: they simply used the word "asylum" when arriving in the UK as a ticket to admission without a passport. Once they're in, then it's a fait accompli, and it doesn't matter that their asylum claim is refused because they're in the UK anyway.

All those people who never reported for their substantive interview are economic migrants. They had a fairytale view of the UK: perhaps they have seen pleasant imagery on the TV; perhaps they hear stories of so-called "first-world" salaries, where the equivalent of minimum wage in the UK would buy a very comfortable lifestyle in their country: however sadly they ignore the cost of living.

I do not blame the individuals for simply wanting a better life: it's human nature to want to improve your own situation. I blame the people traffickers: the ones who demand huge cash payments from the migrants and their families in exchange for arranging false documents which enable them to board the plane (where the documents will invariably be returned to the agent en-route, so by the time the person arrives in the UK then there is no passport to present). The agents promise a life of luxury, and tell the migrants that they will easily be able to earn back the upfront cash in a short time. But the reality is that the majority of the immigrants eke out a subsistence living here, which is no better - or in some cases worse - than they had at home anyway. And because they now have no money and no passport, it's difficult even for them to return home!

People in the so-called third world need to be educated about the reality of life in the UK. Our streets are not paved with gold, and the cost of living is high. Oh sure, if you really are being persecuted and in need of international protection then we will offer that. But if you're just an economic migrant, then you'd better be highly-skilled - because if you're not then you won't find a better life here.
(EuroSong I love horse meat: best of all the animals, Fri 2 Mar 2012, 11:53, Reply)