An Afghanistan migrant who fled from the Taliban, now resides in a luxury four-star hotel in the UK where he “feels like a king”.
Amir Khan, 20, crossed the border ten days ago and is already “amazed” at the standard of luxury at the hotel he is staying at.
He is currently residing at the Macdonald Kilhey Court, Wigan, alongside over 100 other migrants.
The hotel is renowned in Wigan for its luxuriousness and is surrounded by 10 acres of stunning grounds.
WATCH: Migrant accommodation costs £8million a day
The UK is currently spending £8million a day on accommodation for asylum seekers.
Khan, who only two weeks prior was slumming it in Calais, said he was shocked at how nice the accommodation provided was.
The 20-year-old was unaware of the Bibby Stockholm barge but said he would have been happy to live there if that was the option given to him.
“All I hope for is somewhere safe. Somewhere warm and dry, yes, and clean, but mostly safe," he told the Daily Express.
"Two weeks ago I was living in the bushes in Calais. This was not safe. When I got to the hotel I could not believe it. I was so happy, it really amazed me.
"This hotel has so much luxury. It has much more than I expected. It is safe and warm and comfortable. It made me feel like a king.
“The food is very good, breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is tea and coffee, mango juice and other juices.
"It is in a British style but it is all halal because almost everyone in the hotel is a muslim.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
"I did not know there was a swimming pool or a gym. We are not allowed to use them. I would not expect to use them. It is no problem."
He said the hotel was full, with many visitors having to share a room.
Khan fled Afghanistan two years ago when the Taliban seized control of the country, twenty years after they were outed by US troops.
His family’s business was burned down by the Taliban and they captured his uncle.
The 20-year-old fled to Pakistan out of fear for his own life.
He said: “I did not want to come here. I want to be with my family in Afghanistan. it is my home. It is where my best people are.
“But if I go there I lose my life. Now, my family do not know where I am but they can hope I am alive. If the Taliban take me my family knows I am dead. This is better.”
Since then, he travelled to Calais slowly by foot, walking the astonishing 4750 miles to France.
Huge numbers of migrants are still coming to Britain via small boats PAUpon arriving in France, Khan was left unsure of his next move, as he did not have £3,000 to pay to people smugglers to take him over the channel.
On September 12, Khan noticed a group of migrants heading to the beach and proceeded to join them.
He said: “I followed through the sand dunes where they got to a boat on the beach. It was still dark. They started pumping it up. I grabbed a pump and started to help, everyone thought I had paid and was part of the group so I just kept busy and helped as much as I could.
"We carried the boat down to the water and there were no police. We were stuck on the beach for 45 minutes because the engine would not start. All we saw were two people. One was a fisherman going home and the other was walking a dog.
"At last the engine started and we set off but I asked if the authorities knew about us? If they don't know, we could sink and drown, no-one would rescue us, but if they know they will save us.”
Khan describes how he called the French coastguard who proceeded to follow the boat until it made it into UK waters.
He was then processed in Dover before being sent to the luxurious hotel in Wigan.
Over 20,000 migrants crossed the channel in small boats this year.
