Cost to remove a migrant £63,000 more than keeping in UK

The highly controversial government Rwanada plans could end up costing Britain more money. 

It could cost an estimated £63,000 more to send a migrant to a “safe country” such as Rwanda, than to simply keep them in the UK, the government has said. 

The Illegal Migration Bill, which is going through Parliament, could cost £169,000 to relocate an individual, according to an economic impact assessment. 

But the estimated £106,000 spent on housing support if they remained in the UK would be avoided.

The government said the policy would also curb the number of people illegally entering the country. Though there is not much evidence to suggest what level of deterrence impact the policy would actually have. 

The Home Office assessment says no cost would be incurred if people were deterred from illegally entering the country. 

It also said the potential savings were “highly uncertain” but gave an estimated figure of between £106,000 and £165,000 per individual. The higher figure takes into the account the possibility of housing costs continuing to increase.