BBC documentary alleges babies born to migrants in UK hotels to boost passport chances

LONDON — A BBC documentary raises new questions about the UK's asylum system, reporting that some people housed in government-funded migrant hotels are having babies in the belief it will boost their chances of obtaining a British passport. The programme, part of the BBC File of Four series, portrays that belief as misguided, while noting that in some cases mothers and children may still qualify for extra safeguards against deportation. Sue Mitchell, the BBC's reporter, says the programme documents the view that some claimants believe childbirth could improve their entitlement to benefits or housing, and complicate deportation.

The documentary visits four hotels and chronicles stories including a father from Somalia who says his newborn is a British baby born on British soil, described by the programme as an example of the belief in status. It notes that while some asylum seekers with children remain in the UK, deportations can still occur, though safeguards can make removal harder. The Refugee Council says migrants with children qualify for extra protections. Migrants describe being sent hundreds of miles by taxi for health appointments, with one Iraqi man, known only as Kadir, saying a knee check-up required a 250-mile taxi ride costing about £600. The hotel front-desk automation arranged the rides, and migrants were not offered public transit. Kadir says he would have preferred to travel by train but felt compelled to accept the transport provided.

The programme also depicts a broader picture inside the hotels. Kadir and his wife have two children since arriving nine years ago, and they now have a third. They occupy two adjoining hotel rooms, one for the couple and baby, the other for their 12-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. He says he used to work as a translator in his home country and says he has been targeted by criminals. His asylum claim was rejected by the Home Office for lack of proof. He has had two appeals rejected and a third appeal underway. He adds that some migrants convert to Christianity to bolster their chances of staying. A woman from Iraq says she paid smugglers to cross the Channel to get treatment for stage-four cancer. Mohammed, from Afghanistan, says he arranged a job before arriving in the country and earns around £20 a day for shifts that can last up to 10 hours.

A security guard at one hotel says migrants have little to occupy them and some take illegal work to survive. Journalists and the public remain barred from Home Office migrant hotels, though the BBC says it gained access through contacts who had themselves made the journey across the Channel. The programme notes that families have waited in the country for years as their cases wind through the system.

As of the end of June, just over 32,000 people were housed in taxpayer-funded hotels, up eight percent from a year earlier. The Home Office says asylum applications reached a record 111,084 in the year to June, up 14 percent on the previous 12 months. Labour has pledged to close all migrant hotels by 2029. In August, Epping Forest District Council won a temporary High Court injunction to stop migrants being placed at The Bell hotel in Epping, but the Home Office challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal, and the hotel remains open while further action is considered.

The total cost of asylum support in the public sector fell to about £4.76 billion in 2024-25, down from £5.38 billion the year before, though costs remain far higher than a decade ago, when annual spending was under £475 million. A Home Office spokesperson said the Home Secretary has asked officials to urgently look into the use of taxis to transfer asylum seekers.

The BBC report also notes that some migrants have obtained jobs by leveraging prior contacts and that the overall asylum process remains backlog-heavy, with families waiting years for decisions and appeals. The documentary emphasizes that while some claimants rely on language support and legal aid to stay in the country, others resort to informal or illicit arrangements, including black-market labor and payments to smugglers, to secure basic care and services while their cases wind through the system.

The story sits within a broader political debate over how to manage immigration and asylum policy in Britain, with the government under pressure to balance humanitarian obligations with containment of irregular migration. The BBC documented what it described as a systemic strain on public funds and local services, alongside human stories of families living in limbo as they await decisions on their futures.