An asylum seeker brought to the UK by the Home Office under the controversial 'one in, one out' scheme has expressed that it feels unjust that he was allowed into the country only because someone else was deported. The individual, who spoke on condition of anonymity, benefited from the legal entry programme that exchanges one asylum seeker who reached the UK via small boat for another brought legally from France.
Asylum Seeker Criticises Policy
In what is believed to be the first interview with a beneficiary of the scheme, the man stated: 'I am very happy to be here, but it's not fair that another asylum seeker who may have a very similar case to mine but arrived in a small boat has been sent back to France so I can come here legally.' He added: 'I don't support sending some people back to France so that others like me can come to the UK.'
Since the scheme was announced last July, more than 900 people have been allowed into the UK to apply for asylum, with a similar number who arrived irregularly moved out. The charity Safe Passage, which supports asylum seeker families in France, condemned the policy as 'not a genuine route to protection'.
Legal Journey vs. Dangerous Crossings
The asylum seeker acknowledged that his legal journey to the UK – by plane from Paris – was much safer and speedier than the dangerous small boat crossings, but said he is in limbo while waiting for his asylum claim to be determined. 'We are waiting for our main asylum interview and have nothing to do while we wait,' he said. 'I applied for a university scholarship, but was told I am not eligible because I am an asylum seeker. I am doing some volunteering, but by not allowing us to work or study and just waiting, the Home Office is teaching us to be lazy.'
He added: 'I am in a hotel with others brought to the UK legally, and I have only seen other single men like me.'
Application Process and Arrival
The asylum seeker explained that he applied for the 'in' scheme online. 'They took our biometrics and passports in Paris and then we were taken to a hotel and told to wait until 5pm to find out if temporary visas had been approved for us to travel to UK by plane,' he said. 'Those who were approved were taken to the airport in Paris and flown to the UK.' Upon arrival, he and the rest of the group were taken to a Home Office building via a parking basement elevator, so he does not know the exact location. He described Home Office staff as 'so nice and friendly'.
Charity and Parliamentary Concerns
Gunes Kalkan, head of campaigns at Safe Passage, said that while the charity welcomed the safe route, challenges such as the lengthy processing time on arrival were 'preventing it from being a genuine route to protection in the UK'. Earlier this year, the French national assembly’s commission of inquiry heard that, as of February 2026, 89% of people brought to the UK under the scheme were single men aged 20 to 39. The inquiry also noted that while small boat crossings are down, the scheme had not acted as a deterrent.
Recent figures show Channel crossings in the first five months of this year are down by more than a third compared to the same period last year. More than 2,000 people crossed last month, compared with 3,665 in June 2025.
Home Office Response
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Multiple families have made a successful application under the UK-France agreement, and applications continue to be processed with thorough consideration. All individuals transferred to the UK under the agreement are subject to robust security and identity checks before travel. Those who do not pass these checks will not be transferred to the UK.'
