Up to 1.2 million illegal immigrants are estimated to be living in Britain, the highest number of any country in the European Union, research says.
Those in the UK and Germany make up almost half of all illegal immigrants in the EU, a study of Europe’s unauthorised migration population by the US Pew Research Centre claims.
The estimate comes after 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead in a refrigerated container in Essex as they were being smuggled into the country. More than 1,000 people have also crossed the Channel on small boats so far this year following the tightening of border controls in Calais.
Most illegal immigrants in the UK are likely to be long-term residents having lived here for five years or more, according
