Up to seven thousand people have arrived on UK shores this year seeking asylum, according to the latest UNHCR figures.
Many arrive with only the clothes they are wearing.
They are given just over £5 a day to live on when they first arrive.
This begs the question, why would someone leave their home, their families and travel thousands of miles away, to live on much less than a minimum wage?
Judith Dennis is a policy manager at the Refugee Council, an organisation that advocates and protects asylum seekers.
She says: “Many are fleeing persecution or violence in their home country.
“They don’t know where they will end up.
“Some try settling in neighbouring countries but they don’t have access to employment or education there, so they leave to find a place to build a long term life.”
The UK immigration laws do not include any kind of asylum visa.
This means there is no option of entering the UK as an asylum seeker legally.
Some refugees are resettled in the UK, but such cases are only granted rarely to people from selected countries in very exceptional circumstances.
Early last month Border Force confirmed more than four hundred migrants arrived by boat from France in one day.
The UK government is trying to find a solution and has suggested using nets to stop the boats. Home Secretary Priti Patel’s idea of sending asylum seekers to be processed offshore came under harsh criticism from rights groups.
UNHCR UK representative Rossella PagliuchiLor said: “Processing asylum claims offshore has been proven to cause great suffering and come at a huge financial cost.
“Putting morality and costs aside, it would not absolve the UK from its legal obligations.”
UK leaders alone may not be able to find the answer. This is an international issue that needs an international solution.
Ms Dennis says: “Leaders should look at providing safer routes so people don’t have to risk their lives.
“Before we start building walls, we have to understand why they are coming here.”
She expressed that it may not be the case the Refugee Convention signatories have the same standards, and emphasised the need for collaboration.
