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'I came to UK on a small boat, got an NHS operation and took a £48 flight home'
EXCLUSIVE: A migrant who came to Britain illegally has revealed how he worked illegally for years before brazenly flying out the country.
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A migrant who came to Britain by small boat had a NHS operation before taking a £48 flight back to Albania.
The man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, fled from a migrant hotel hours after arriving in Dover and worked at a cannabis farm for several years.
But he decided to go back because he was earning less than the minimum wage in his homeland.
Before leaving, he claims to have walked into a NHS hospital, provided his real name and received treatment for a ruptured appendix.
“I was in pain and I had an operation, and after that, I left. It was easy because we had an emergency,” he said during a video call from an undisclosed location in Albania.
“I was thinking of leaving before the operation, but after I was sure. I regret that I ever came to Britain. It was like a bad dream. I came there for the money and made none.”
Although his details were recorded after he arrived by small boat, he says he had no problem leaving the country with the same passport British authorities examined after rescuing him from a dinghy.
“They didn't even ask me for the documents,” he said, “I just gave them the passport and left. It cost me £5,000 to come there and £48 to take a flight back.”
Ultimately, it was the treacherous nature of the black market economy that convinced him to go back.
After quitting his job tending thousands of pounds worth of cannabis plants he struggled to make ends meet doing cash-in-hand labouring.
Since returning to Albania he has been trying to convince other relatives planning to come to Britain by small boat not to make the dangerous journey across the Channel.
He added: “Last night I was here in Tirana and one of our friends was saying, ‘I want to go’, but I was telling him it's not like it seems.”
“Coming on the boat was a silly thing to do. I wouldn’t do it again. I think those that do it are stupid.”
If he did retutrn he would rather pay a smuggler £10,000 to get him into Britain by plane, although the chances of that happening are slim: the migrant has vowed not to come back even if he has “legal documents.”
The Sunday Express first spoke to the migrant when he was living illegally in Britain. After agreeing to meet at a hotel room he donned a balaclava and laughed at Keir Starmer’s plans to tackle the small boat crisis by “smashing the gangs.”
Responding to questions from the Sunday Express about how it was possible for the migrant to flee a hotel but still access NHS services and then leave a Home Office spokesperson said: “We remain in regular contact with asylum seekers to ensure individuals remain compliant with their conditions of support and asylum claim. Where an individual is considered to be non-compliant, we ensure appropriate action is taken.
“Asylum seekers who are non-detained and are free to travel within the UK, may have their claims withdrawn if they do not comply with the asylum process, such as failing to report. If they leave the UK without authorisation their claims will also be withdrawn.”
