Afghan migrant given asylum in UK 'went on holiday to Afghanistan' - the country he fled

An asylum seeker who claimed to have fled Afghanistan due to his life being in danger could face deportation after returning there on holiday, it has emerged. The man, who uses the name DG Usama, filmed himself arriving in the UK in a small boat in 2022 before applying for asylum.

Usama recorded himself being rescued by an RNLI boat in April 2022, as he became one of 2,143 people to enter the country through small boats in that month alone. The video, set over techno music and uploaded to social media, was captioned: "Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) now I am in the UK." Throughout the following year, he pictured himself in a variety of UK tourist destinations, including Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, and Brighton.

He is understood to have been successful in his asylum application between 2022 and the summer of 2024, according to the Sun.

The paper claims that Usama told officials that he had fled his home country of Afghanistan due to fears for his life under the Taliban.

However, in September 2024, Usama posted a series of videos from a six-week trip to the country, showing him at sites such as Band-e Amir, a natural park known as "Blue Heart" due to the bright colour of the lagoons, it is reported.

The site, found in the Hindu Kush mountains, has six deep-blue lakes formed by natural dams and attracts around 200,000 visitors each year.

In the footage, Usama is seen in an orange raft, which can be hired for around £1.50 an hour.

The Sun reports that he later posted a photograph of himself in London, proving that he had returned to the country.

An investigation has now been launched by the Home Office who could look to remove his right to remain in the United Kingdom after returning to the country he had claimed asylum from.

A Home Office rulebook explicitly says that those who seek asylum in the UK "can usually travel to all countries except the country you're from (and) any country you sought asylum from".

Tory Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "Illegal migrants like this must be laughing at how naive the Government are.

"He should never have been allowed back into the UK after he apparently holidayed in Afghanistan.

"If Germany are regularly removing illegal migrants from Afghanistan back home, why aren't we?"

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "Whilst we do not comment on individual cases, where there is evidence of someone holding protection status returning to their country of origin, it will trigger a review of their status."