The UK Home Office has paid nearly 9,000 Brazilian nationals up to £3,000 each to return to their home country after overstaying their visas, according to recently disclosed figures. Between July 2024 and March 2025, a total of 8,901 Brazilians were supported through the government’s assisted voluntary returns programme, which covers travel and living expenses for individuals without legal right to remain, including visa overstayers and failed asylum seekers.

During this period, approximately 20,365 international migrants took part in the scheme, with the overall cost estimated at around £35 million. Sources indicate that this figure could now exceed £40 million following additional expenditures in the subsequent six months. On average, payments amounted to £1,964 per person, with the highest payments of up to £3,000 generally directed to families and vulnerable individuals.

Alongside Brazilians, substantial numbers from other countries also accepted government funding to leave the UK. These included 3,629 Indians, 746 Colombians, and 468 Hondurans. However, arrivals from nations most associated with small boat crossings, such as Eritreans, Sudanese, Afghans, Somalis, and Iranians, were notably underrepresented in the assisted returns figures. Only a handful from these groups agreed to leave voluntarily, with just seven Eritreans and 77 Iranians among them.

The scale and cost of these payouts have increased significantly under the current Labour government, reportedly operating at nearly four times the level seen in the final two years of the preceding Conservative administration. Chris Philp, the Conservative Shadow Home Secretary, criticized the approach, arguing that paying migrants to leave does not address the root causes of illegal crossings. He contended that the government’s policy effectively acts as a costly workaround rather than a solution, pointing out that only seven percent of migrants arriving by small boats are currently removed.

Philp advocated for a more stringent immigration strategy, including the forcible deportation of illegal entrants, which he asserted would eliminate the need for voluntary return payments altogether.

The cost of assisted voluntary returns is said to be considerably less than enforced removals, which can exceed £48,000 per person and require extensive escort arrangements. Home Office officials maintain that voluntary returns also reduce expenses related to accommodation and support; for example, housing a migrant family of three in asylum accommodation can cost around £158,000 annually. The government notes that a single £3,000 payment could cover three months’ rent for one individual in shared housing.

In a recent initiative, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood introduced a pilot scheme offering failed asylum seekers and their families one-time payments of up to £40,000 to encourage return within a limited seven-day window. These payments are expected to be disbursed via prepaid debit cards once recipients have left the country.

The Home Office emphasized that voluntary returns have increased by more than 50 percent under the current administration, with returns from small boat arrivals rising close to 65 percent. Officials describe the assisted returns programme as a cost-effective alternative to forced removal and ongoing housing costs. The scheme is distinct from the facilitated returns programme, which specifically targets the deportation of foreign nationals convicted of crimes while in the UK.