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Undocumented Migrants

Asked by James McMurdockIndependentHome OfficeTabled Answered 12 January 2026UIN 102616

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the number of illegal migrants residing within the UK.

Answered by Alex Norris

By its very nature, it is not possible to know the exact size of the illegal population, or the number of people who arrive illegally, and so we do not seek to make any official or internal estimates of the illegal population. The latest position on this from the Home Office and ONS is outlined in this statement: Measuring illegal migration: our current view - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk).

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