Revealed: 'Child' boat migrant who sailed across the Channel to the UK is actually a 25-year-old Iranian trying to date over-30s who was caught out by his GREY beard

  • A migrant who claimed to be a child to stay in the UK is actually in his mid-20s 
  • Aria Ibrahimi, who is now believed to be 25, was taken into care by Kent Council
  • Ibrahimi, who is from Iran, arrived by boat in May 2020 and claimed to be 16
  • A social worker said they thought he was in his late 20s and had a few grey hairs

A migrant who came to the UK by boat and claimed to be a child so he could stay is actually in his mid-20s, and even joined an over-30s dating group, before he was caught out by his grey hairs and stubble.

Aria Ibrahimi, who is now believed to be 25, posed as a 16-year-old and got taken into care by Kent County Council as a minor before social workers' suspicions began to grow.

Ibrahimi, who is from Iran, arrived unaccompanied in the UK in May 2020 and claimed to be 16, which was not disputed by the Home Office.

Aria Ibrahimi, who is now believed to be 25, posed as a 16-year-old and got taken into care by Kent County Council as a minor before social workers' suspicions began to grow

Aria Ibrahimi, who is now believed to be 25, posed as a 16-year-old and got taken into care by Kent County Council as a minor before social workers' suspicions began to grow

He is now facing deportation following testimony by social workers in a Home Office hearing, The Sun reports.

One said they believed he was aged late 20s or early 30s and noted Ibrahim 'had a few grey hairs'.

It was also said that his 'facial features were set and without the soft features of a youth'.

He even joined dating groups for people aged 30 to 55 and a list of 19 to 25-year-old singles.

Aria Ibrahimi, holding a piece of paper with the logo of The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), a Kurdish nationalist group which resists the Iranian government

Aria Ibrahimi, holding a piece of paper with the logo of The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), a Kurdish nationalist group which resists the Iranian government

A social worker told the hearing that Ibrahimi visited groups for universities on social media and in an online chat, he told a person his year of birth was 1997, adding: 'but here I'm 2003'.

After the social workers' suspicions came to light, Ibrahim was moved to Home Office adult accommodation in January 2021, with the risk of being deported.

He then applied for a judicial review, which was rejected by Upper Tribunal Judge Susan Kebede, who agreed that his date of birth was September 20, 1997.

Assessors also highlighted a series of flaws in Ibrahim's story about how he reached British shores.

Ibrahimi holding a sign protesting against execution in Iran near the Iranian embassy in London

Ibrahimi holding a sign protesting against execution in Iran near the Iranian embassy in London

Ibrahim has been outspoken against the hardline Islamic Iranian government. 

In one photo, he can be seen holding a piece of paper with the logo of The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), a Kurdish nationalist group which resists the Iranian regime. 

The group's mission statement is ‘to attain Kurdish national rights within a federal and democratic Iran.’ 

In another picture, he can be seen protesting against execution in Iran near to the Iranian embassy in London.