The first migrants of 2022 arrived in Dover shouting 'we love you UK' today, as the RNLI brought around 40 people including a baby and five children ashore.
They were brought off the lifeboat in the harbour before being taken to the immigration processing centre at around 10.45am, according to an eyewitness.
The group are the first to make the treacherous 21-mile journey this year due to a brief weather window which brought calmer conditions at sea.
The last to make the crossing came on December 27 when 36 people in one boat were detained.
It is expected weather conditions will soon deteriorate, making crossings difficult for the next two weeks.
The crossing follows a record-breaking 28,381 people making the journey last year - dwarfing the 8,410 who made the same treacherous trip in 2020.
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought ashore in Dover, Kent, by the RNLI following a small boat incident in the Channel this morning
A man carries a small child after they were brought into Dover, Kent, this morning. The group are the first to make the treacherous 21-mile journey this year
People wearing life jackets are seen being escorted by UK Border Force officials as they arrive at the Port of Dover in the first Channel crossing of 2022
A group of people thought to be migrants are seen waving towards the camera as they are brought into Dover, Kent, by the RNLI following a small boat incident in the Channel
At least 1,020 boats were intercepted by UK authorities over the past 12 months - with an average of around 78 migrants arriving in