When people flee conflict, the expectation is that they are escaping genuine danger—but one Afghan asylum seeker in the UK has raised eyebrows after returning home for an eight-week summer holiday.
DG Usama, who arrived in Britain by small boat in 2022, captured his daring journey across the Channel on social media, and later shared an entirely different kind of adventure: vacationing in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
A Dramatic Arrival in the UK
Usama first made headlines when he traveled roughly 5,000 miles from Kabul to Britain in 2022, cramming into a small dinghy alongside other migrants.
He filmed the journey and shared the experience online, captioning one clip: “Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) now I am in UK.” A second video documented his rescue by an RNLI cutter boat, complete with techno music.
His posts quickly gained attention, portraying both the peril and the thrill of reaching the UK.
Asylum Granted and a Trip Back Home
Somewhere between arriving in April 2022 and the summer of 2024, Usama won asylum in the UK, claiming Afghanistan was too dangerous for him to return.
Yet in summer 2024, he embarked on an eight-week holiday back home, documenting his trip with social media clips from the Band-e Amir national park in the Hindu Kush mountains, known as Afghanistan’s “Blue Heart.”
Sharing the Afghan Adventure
His posts showed idyllic landscapes, boat rides across the deep-blue lakes, and even a convoy tour through Takhar province.
Usama captioned clips with love hearts and captured scenic moments that many tourists dream of, seemingly disregarding the danger he had previously cited.
Upon returning to the UK, he shared footage of his flight via Dubai, including selfies with Emirates-branded headphones.
A Pattern of International Travel
Usama’s social media activity suggests he has traveled widely even before reaching the UK, with videos from French cities such as Paris, Calais, and Annecy, as well as Switzerland and Bulgaria.
These clips highlight the journey many asylum seekers take through “safe” European nations before their final stop in the UK.
Legal Implications and Government Response
Under UK guidelines, asylum seekers or those granted protection are not supposed to return to their country of origin.
The revelation of Usama’s holiday prompted the Home Office to launch an investigation.
Tory Shadow Justice Secretary Mr. Jenrick criticized the situation, questioning why someone who had traveled to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan could still remain in the UK.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Whilst we do not comment on individual cases, where there is evidence of someone holding protection status returning to their country of origin, it will trigger a review of their status.”
Rising Migration Numbers
The controversy comes amid record migrant crossings in 2025.
As of this week, 32,103 illegal migrants have crossed the Channel, a record for this point in the year, highlighting the broader pressures on the UK’s immigration and asylum system.