Care4Calais tried to convince judges that adult migrants with receding hairlines were children, investigation reveals

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026.

Pro-migrant charity Care4Calais championed asylum seekers whom the Home Office had assessed as adults in age-dispute court cases, an investigation reveals. Among the cases, an Ethiopian man "with a receding hairline" was supported as a 17-year-old, though a judge put his age at 22. A Sudanese man in his 20s was placed in children's accommodation after Care4Calais directed his case to a local council.

Unaccompanied child asylum seekers are granted refugee status at 62%, versus 42% overall — creating a powerful incentive to lie about age.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has called for the Charity Commission to investigate and shut Care4Calais down, warning 'the risks are obvious' if adult men are enrolled alongside teenage girls in schools.

Reform's Zia Yusuf accused Care4Calais of 'aiding and abetting the mass invasion of unvetted males into Britain.'