It is not illegal to be an asylum seeker

[antelopevalley]

It is legal to cross the channel in a boat and claim asylum when you reach Britain. People who do this are not illegal, they are acting within the law.

They are usually political opponents of the Iranian regime.

But I also want the NHS to cope

The NHS doesn't cope partly because it is massively understaffed post Brexit. Meanwhile, we have asylum seekers who are qualified health professionals being prevented from working for years on end because the system is so slow. We also have asylum seekers who could fill many of the non-clinical vacancies in the NHS. Why not simply allow asylum seekers to work?

@sevenbyseven a third of people coming by boat are Albanian according to news yesterday. Why are you deliberately lying? You appreciate that means that 2/3rds are not from Albania?

theyre economic and social immigrants mostly.

Not much to do with regime directly, just want to live in a normal country.
I have ties to the community in LDN , many os them claimed asylum but reality is different.

''@Member589500 · Today 01:10
They are PROBABLY ALL illegal entrants as Immigration law does not allow a person to knowingly enter the UK without leave. If a person is from a country which requires pre clearance (visa) they are entering illegally E.g. Albania.
.''

Rubbish.

People are allowed to claim asylum. it is not illegal.

They are only ''illegal'' if they fail to claim asylum when they arrive and try to disappear.

This vile government has removed options for people to claim asylum in any other way so all they have left is to try to cross and then make a claim.

This Daily Mail inspired rhetoric has to stop....

The French made it clear that the UK has resisted all attempt to allow people to claim asylum in the UK on French soil and set up a proper processing centre there.

The ‘they’re economic migrants’ argument is getting dafter and dafter given we have a labour shortage across multiple areas of the economy at the moment. Especially in the NHS.

It would be better for the country to speed up their claims so they can start working.

It is not illegal if you are claiming asylum.

Sorry I wasn't deliberately lying. Are Albanians the number one group then, or is Iranians as quoted by a previous poster? I should have checked the figures before saying that.

Thank you for this. It is an important point.

you can cross the shipping lanes in any vessel,

IRPCS Rule 10

(c) A vessel shall, so far as practicable, avoid crossing traffic lanes but if obliged to do so shall cross on a heading as nearly as practicable at right angles to the general direction of traffic flow.

''@sevenbyseven · Today 04:12

No has to take a small boat to the UK to claim asylum - you're supposed to claim asylum in the first safe country you arrive in.''

Again this is incorrect. There is no legal requirement whatsoever for them to claim in the fist safe country they arrive in.

www.bbc.com/news/explainers-53734793.amp

35% are Albanians which is the largest proportion but I was wrong to state it was the majority.

Yes and those others which you failed to acknowledge are coming from countries we know are at war. The majority of people coming by boat are coming from countries where their lives are at risk.

This country is totally disgusting.

"Last night UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, strongly condemned the asylum policy unveiled by Rishi Sunak. In a statement, its assistant high commissioner for protection, Gillian Triggs, said:
The announced proposal to first detain, and then either return asylum-seekers to their home countries, or transfer them to a third country would amount to a denial of access to the UK asylum system for those who arrive irregularly.
That approach would close down access to asylum in the UK for all but a few. This would likely result in refugees having no means to establish their status and place them at risk of forced return to unsafe countries, in breach of the Refugee Convention. It would also undermine the global refugee system at large and would be a violation of international refugee law".

The government itself is to blame for economic migrants. Fund the system properly so people are processed and returned quickly. If people are returned quickly, that will be seen in their countries of origin and discourage people from making the journey.

almost correct

Your vessel is obliged to 'wear' a Q flag when you arrive in uk territorial waters 12 miles offshore, you must call National Yacht line to announce your arrival, persons on board, port/marina you are headed to etc and wait with the crew on board if requested by them until border force have visited.

Thank you for posting this, OP. More people should be shouting about it.

We need to clear the tails and fast track acceptance of genuine asylum seekers and quick return of the rest. We can't keep on letting thousands upon thousands of young men, many of whom are economic migrants not in genuine need of asylum, disappear into the country. Neither should we demonise people who genuinely need help and want to build a life, conform to liberal values (women / men as equal for a start) and contribute to society.

The whole technical discussion about maritime law is bizarre. You are talking about the boats and gangs running them.
The people travelling are asylum seekers and it is not illegal to be an asylum seeker. It is legal to travel to the UK and claim asylum on arrival.

@pointythings Thanks

The government usually only wheel out stuff on asylum seekers like this when they are trying to distract from something. What have they done now?

this morning's awful news....who can imagine getting on a boat with their children in this weather...there's just no way you would do this without a very very good reason
our government shames us and with their willingness to break international law

@RafaistheKingofClay Very good point.

The cynical attempt to “other” human beings to distract from its complete failure and incompetence is shameful. It’s the only thing they have left in the armoury to try to retain red wall seats.

Agree