So, we hear on #r4today that a new report (unnamed) criticises the Home Office for not knowing how many undocumented immigrants are in the UK. By definition, nobody knows.

But, a couple of things about that...

Home Office doesn't have its own recent estimate, but there are several credible estimates out there. Mayor of London's research puts the figure at about 675,000. Pew Research Centre puts it at about 800,000 (but includes asylum seekers).

Either number is unacceptable. #r4today

Contrary to what hysteric coverage of Farige, etc. would have you think, vast majority of these people came here entirely legally. They entered UK on legitimate visa and for any number of reasons lost their status.

Our immigration laws systematically force people out of status.

Some common reasons for a migrant to lose their status in my research include: Family breakdown- relationships end, & a person is dependent on that relationship for visa; Mental health crisis, which can mean students or workers need to take a break & no longer fulfil visa terms;

Or simply poverty. A person may need to work more hours than their student visa allows. A person may not be able to afford the astronomical fees charged every time they need to renew their leave. These are people, remember, with #NoRecoursetoPublicFunds & other disadvantages.

In many cases, we are talking about people who either entered the UK as children, and therefore didn't understand that their parents failed to renew their leave, or they may have been born in the UK and yet still be considered "illegal immigrants" in their homes.

It is not really a scandal that the Home Office doesn't know how many people are living undocumented in the UK, it is a scandal that they provide almost no way for people trapped in that awful situation to get out of it.

It is expensive, and the criteria are impossibly high.

I am far more surprised & concerned that the Home Office doesn't know how many EU & EEA immigrants are living in the UK - and yet claims it can ensure they all have a secure status within the next year when Free Movement rights end.

Perhaps #r4today could ask about that?