'Stop rewarding illegal entry!' Migrant perks branded 'outrageous' as taxpayers 'bankroll sweeteners for asylum seekers'

Support extends not just to those departing voluntarily, but also to individuals who've been forcibly removed from the country.

The scheme covers failed asylum seekers and foreign national offenders alike, with the Government-contracted organisation IRARA meeting returnees at airports and developing "tailored reintegration plans" for each individual.

William Yarwood, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It's outrageous that taxpayers are being asked to bankroll ‘sweeteners’ for migrants who broke the law to come here.

"After years of spiralling illegal migrant hotel bills and policy failures, it is indefensible that those who entered the country illegally are treated more generously than British people who play by the rules.

"The Government should scrap these incentive schemes, stop rewarding illegal entry, and focus on rapid removals and a clear deterrent against illegal migration."

Other critics branded it a "soft-touch" approach which effectively rewards those who've broken British immigration laws.

Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, was left aghast by the use of taxpayers' money.

"It makes no sense to be throwing taxpayers’ cash at illegal migrants," he said.

"It simply extends the pull factors and increases the attractiveness of Britain as a destination.

"It is not our problem whether or not these people are able to access welfare support or accommodation in their country of origin, nor should we be helping them set up businesses, especially at a time when the Labour Government is doing all it can to decimate British business.

"This is yet another example of illegal migrants being given benefits that simply aren’t available to the hard-working British public."

Returnees can receive up to five nights of accommodation in their home country, along with food and travel assistance.

There's also an airport reception and transportation, plus help with redocumentation and signposting to local services.

Mental health support and counselling form part of the package too, alongside vocational training and access to educational opportunities.

Perhaps most controversially, the scheme helps individuals apply for jobs or launch their own companies, with grants approved and payments made directly to suppliers and vendors.

Returnees can even request assistance finding and reuniting with family members back home.

IRARA's promotional video tells migrants: "Together, we will develop a tailored reintegration plan. IRARA can help you apply for a job, set up a business, access training or enrol in education."

The Home Office is currently looking to expand this provision, adding five additional nations: Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Somalia, and Sri Lanka to the ten nations already in the scheme: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Nigeria, Pakistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith was left seething by the news.

He told The Sunday Express: "Putting British entrepreneurs out of business with high taxes only to use that taxpayers' money to help migrants set up businesses in foreign lands is the sort of madness we've come to expect from the failing Home Office.

"Thousands of British firms are struggling and would love more support or lower taxes."

Reform's Lee Anderson was equally scathing, adding: "This taxpayer-funded farce is an outrageous use of public cash.

"It is not the responsibility of the British government to bankroll luxury repatriation retreats for foreign nationals, many of which will have been deported so they can 'rebuild their lives' back home.

"The signal we are sending to the world is catastrophic: commit the crime, and you'll get the red-carpet treatment on your way out. This must end."

Earlier this month, the department put out a call for expressions of interest from suppliers for a new Government contract running from 2026 to 2028.

With this expanded coverage, some 16,803 individuals who were returned over the past twelve months would have been eligible for the support package.

The Home Office says it's obligated to provide this reintegration assistance under Objective 21 of the UN's Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, an agreement Britain signed under Theresa May.

A Home Office spokesman said: "These claims are untrue. This scheme ensures migrants return to their home country, settle and don't re-enter the UK for a fraction of the price.

"Every asylum seeker that remains in the UK costs the taxpayer around £30,000 a year.

"The scheme helps to reduce costs for UK taxpayers while we intensify our enforcement action against those with no right to be here with almost 50,000 removed since the Government came into power."

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