ALMOST 9,000 Brazilian migrants have each been paid up to £3,000 to leave Britain — yet most Channel arrivals ignore the “bribe” to go, The Jattvibe can reveal.
Taxpayers have funded golden goodbyes for 8,901 from the South American country out of the 20,365 international total who went under the assisted returns scheme in two years.
Nearly 9,000 Brazilian migrants have been paid up to £3,000 to leave Britain Credit: Getty
The bill could soon rocket after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood rolled out a pilot scheme offering failed asylum seekers and their families up to £40,000 to leave Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Each of them was given travel and living expenses by the Voluntary Returns Service department for visa overstayers, failed asylum seekers or anyone without the right to remain.
The official bill from July 2024 to this March was £35million. But sources reckon the total now tops £40million owing to the cash splashed out in the past six months.
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It puts the average payment to leave at £1,964, with the top £3,000 amount generally reserved only for families and vulnerable people.
Alongside the Brazilians, 3,629 Indians took a funded flight home, 746 Colombians and 468 Hondurans.
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Yet the five biggest nations for small boat migrants barely featured in the figures.
Just seven Eritreans, 11 Sudanese, 14 Afghans, three Somalis and 77 Iranians agreed to accept a bung to go home.
Farewell payouts have soared under Labour, running at nearly four times the rate of the final two years under the Conservatives.
Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Labour are paying illegal immigrants to leave instead of stopping them arriving in the first place. They have found an expensive way to avoid the actual problem.
“Paying off thousands of Brazilians does nothing about the boats crossing the Channel.
“Meanwhile, the people arriving in dinghies are being returned at a rate of just seven per cent. The Conservative Party would end this racket altogether. Our Borders plan would ensure illegal immigrants could all be forcibly deported, meaning there would be no need to pay them off.”
The bill could soon rocket after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood rolled out a pilot scheme offering failed asylum seekers and their families up to £40,000 to leave.
The one-time offer is valid for one week only. Those accepting will also be given flights home.
The cash is expected to be issued on pre-paid debit cards once they have left the country.
Home Office sources say assisted voluntary returns cost less than the £48,000 for a forced removal, and do not require border agents to accompany a migrant all the way home.
Paying off thousands of Brazilians does nothing about the boats crossing the Channel Credit: Getty – Contributor
Taxpayers have funded golden goodbye for 8,901 from the South American country out of the the 20,365 who went under the assisted returns scheme in two years, figures reveal Credit: Alamy
Ministers claim the payouts save taxpayers money as, for example, housing a migrant family of three in asylum accommodation costs about £158,000 a year.
The top £3,000 assisted voluntary return payment would fund three months for one migrant in a typical house of multiple occupation (HMO).
The Home Office said: “Encouraging voluntary returns is vastly better value than paying for hotels or forced returns, saving taxpayers millions. Under this government, returns of those with no right to be in the UK are up by more than 50 per cent, and close to 65 per cent for small boat arrivals.”
The assisted returns scheme is separate from the facilitated returns scheme which deports foreign criminals directly from jail.
