UK Home Office to use AI facial recognition for age verification of asylum seekers starting next year
By
Joshua Nevett
Plain bagel done well. Pleasantly substantive.
Summary
The UK Home Office plans to deploy AI facial recognition technology from next year to verify the ages of asylum seekers, specifically targeting adult migrants who may be falsely claiming to be children. The tool aims to streamline age assessments at the border, as data shows 43% of those claiming to be children were found to be adults. The policy comes amid rising asylum claims, with 111,084 claims in the year ending June 2025, a 14% increase from the previous year.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe Home Office says the tool will make it easier to identify adult migrants 'attempting to game the system'.
Unaccompanied child migrants are processed through the care system rather than the asylum system, which can make it easier to stay in the country.
In the year ending March 2026, more than 6,400 migrants claiming to be children were age assessed at the border, with 43% found to be adults, according to Home Office data.
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