Small boat crossings of the English Channel: Key numbers
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Males accounted for 88% of small boat arrivals in the first three months of 2023 – similar to the proportion each year from 2018 to 2022. Some 90% of arrivals on small boats in the 12 months to March 2023 claimed asylum or were recorded as a dependant on an asylum application. A total of 93% of small boat asylum applications made in this period, along with 78% of all applications since the start of 2018, were still waiting for an initial decision as of this May. Small boat arrivals accounted for 44% of the total number of people who claimed asylum in the UK in the year to March.