The Government Has Wasted £743,000 on Migration Ad Campaigns
The Home Office launched deterrence ads in Albania, Vietnam, and Iraq. But it’s refusing to release any evidence of their effectiveness.
In a response to my recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the Home Office has revealed that more than £743,000 of taxpayer money has been spent on advertising campaigns intended to deter illegal migration for the financial year 2024–2025. The campaigns targeted specific countries — Albania, Vietnam, and Iraq (Kurdistan region) — and were delivered under the banner of "deterrence messaging."
What the Campaigns Were
According to the FOI response, the following campaigns were launched since January 2024:
Vietnam (March – May 2024)
Vietnam (December 2024 – present)
Albania (January 2025 – present)
Iraq (Kurdistan Region) (March 2025 – present)
The total budget allocated for these campaigns was £743,655.94, covering creative development, translations, and media spend. However, the Home Office notes that this is a projected figure and the final reconciled spend may differ.
The Albanian Campaign in Detail
The FOI response provides some detail about the Albanian campaign, which is currently ongoing. According to the Home Office:
"The advertising campaign in Albania reminds people about the dangers of trusting people smuggling gangs, using the real stories of their victims. The adverts are designed to counter the myths and misinformation peddled by criminals to dupe people online."
The target audience includes:
Primary audience: 18–39-year-olds, weighted 80% male and 20% female.
Secondary audience: 31–65+ year-olds, weighted 50% male and 50% female.
The campaign is running nationwide in Albania, with additional focus on Dibër, Kukës, Shkodër, and Tirana.
By 9th March 2025, the campaign had reportedly achieved 49,034,838 views in Albania alone.
Effectiveness?
When asked to provide assessments, summaries, or reports evaluating the effectiveness of these deterrence campaigns, the Home Office refused. They cited Section 35(1)(a) of the FOIA — an exemption covering the formulation of government policy, a classic tactic used by governmental departments to shield accountability.
Their reasoning was that releasing such assessments might harm the policymaking process, impede the government’s ability to “test and learn” from its communications strategy, and reduce the quality of future policy work. In short, the public is being asked to trust that the campaigns worked — but not allowed to see any evidence.
There is a legitimate debate to be had over the best way to address illegal migration, but spending nearly three-quarters of a million pounds on advertising campaigns with no published measure of success should concern anyone interested in use of public funds.
With no available evaluation and no independent review, there’s little accountability. Meanwhile, the government continues to rely on gimmick communication strategies that do little to restore trust in how migration challenges are handled.
We all know an Albanian migrant isn’t going to cancel a journey based on a UK-funded Instagram ad, this is not serious immigration policy.
Instead of wasting public money on unaccountable PR exercises, the government should focus on enforcement and removing those with no right to be here.
If you would like to contribute to my FOI investigations, you can do so by visiting this link. Thank you.