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Claim: A TikTok user claims the United Kingdom is offering illegal immigrants £3,000 to vacate the country.

Verdict: Our findings confirmed that the UK government has established a voluntary return initiative for illegal immigrants. However, while participants may be eligible to receive financial assistance of up to £3,000, the money is not automatically paid as purported.
Full Text
Governments of the developed countries constantly grapple with illegal immigration. Many of them have resorted to using various policies and enforcement measures, including deportation and jail terms, to discourage unauthorised migrants.
Just recently, a TikTok user, Fatima Zharah, announced that the UK government has started offering illegal migrants £3,000 to vacate the country. Illegal migrants are people who reside in a country without approval, violating the immigration laws of that country.
“Just in: UK is offering illegal migrants £3,000 each to move out of the country,” Ms Zharah wrote in her post.
The post has received mixed reactions from other TikTok users. While many were surprised and asked for directions on how to access this fund, a number of them made statements of caution, saying that it might be a trap from the government.
However, there were others like Kemi Adefolarin who simply referred to the information as untrue. “This is a big lie,” she wrote in the comment section.
We also found similar posts on Facebook, as seen here and here. DUBAWA carried out this fact check due to the claim’s virality.
Verification
We visited the UK government’s website and found that it has established programmes to curb illegal immigration into the country. One such programme is a “voluntary return” project, which assists UK immigrants who do not have permission to remain in the country.
Beneficiaries would be able to get help processing travel documents and have their return tickets bought for them. In addition, migrants may also be eligible to apply for financial support of up to £3,000, which they can “use to find somewhere to live, find a job or start a business” when they arrive in their home country.
As explained, applicants are only eligible if they are in the UK illegally, have overstayed their visa, have withdrawn or want to withdraw their application to stay, or have been refused asylum in the UK.
Conclusion
Our findings confirmed that the UK government has created a voluntary return programme for illegal immigrants. While beneficiaries automatically receive help with travel documents and tickets, they must submit an application to be considered for the support funds, redeemable up to £3,000.