The first month of 2026 saw the lowest number of small boat crossings for January in five years.
Last month, a total of 933 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats, the latest Home Office figures show.
This was a drop of 15% on last year’s numbers, and down 30% on the numbers seen in January 2024.
In 2021, 224 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats.
The fall in numbers this year are likely in part down to stormy weather conditions, but have been welcomed by the government.
In a statement, a Home Office spokesperson said the government had stopped 40,000 crossing attempts since it came into office thanks to “joint work with the French government”.
They added they have “detained and removed almost 50,000 people who were here illegally”.
“Our pilot deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back,” they said.
Last year, the Labour government agreed a ‘one in, one out’ migrant return deal with France. Under the deal, for each migrant the UK returns to France, another migrant with a strong case for asylum in the UK will come in return.
The UK can immediately detain anyone who crosses the Channel and agree with the French authorities to return the individual within about a fortnight.
Speaking last week, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said 281 migrants had been returned to France under the agreement.
In total, 41,472 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats in 2025, up by almost 5,000 on the year before.