The man, understood to be a Libyan national, was spotted 18 miles from the coast by a passing container ship, which alerted the coastguard to his presence.
The man is understood to have left the Netherlands three days earlier but lost power as he approached the Norfolk coast after a crossing of around 110 miles.
Sources say the man was found severely dehydrated as he had run out of water two days before he was located on the morning of August 1.
The man arrived was spotted off the coast of Caister (Image: Geograph)
First aid had to be administered.
He was brought ashore at Caister by lifeboat before being arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.
Norfolk police said he was taken to Yarmouth police station before later being handed over to immigration services.
Rupert Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth – whose constituency includes Caister – highlighted the incident in a post on Facebook earlier this week.
Rupert Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth (Image: Rupert Lowe)
He said: “The invasion is happening all over Britain, and the establishment is hiding it from the British people and their MPs.
“I was not formally told about this process. I found out through my own methods, and have decided to make this knowledge public.
“My constituents, and the British people, deserve to know the truth.”
He continued: “Since the incident, I have been seeking clarification from the Home Office and the police regarding this case, including confirmation of the individual’s current whereabouts so I can press for his removal from the country. I want him deported.
“Despite multiple attempts, and despite Norfolk Police supplying the relevant personal details, I continue to be advised that this individual cannot be traced. How is this possible?”
Caister on Sea beach. (Image: Denise Bradley)
In a letter to Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, Mr Lowe described the incident as “deeply concerning.”
“It is difficult to understand how someone arrested, processed and transferred into Home Office responsibility could already be unaccounted for within the system,” he wrote.
“I would be grateful if you could treat this matter as a priority and provide an urgent update on the status and whereabouts of this individual.”
It is understood the Home Office does know of the man’s location and where he is.
A Home Office spokesman added: “This government is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and restoring control at our border. Joint efforts have seen over 48,000 crossing attempts prevented and 1,100 boats and engines seized since the election.
“But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40pc more boots on the ground on French beaches.”
A spokeswoman for Norfolk police said: “We were notified by the Coastguard on Saturday August 1 about Caister lifeboat picking up a man in a small boat found drifting approximately 18 miles off the coast of Norfolk.
“The man was brought to shore and arrested on suspicion of immigration offences. He was taken to Great Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre and later handed over to immigration services.”
The man’s journey highlights the extraordinary lengths migrants are going to make it across to the UK.
Increasingly longer trips are being made by migrants, rather than focusing their efforts on the 21 miles between Calais and Dover.
A boat carrying around 120 migrants was intercepted off the coast of Portsmouth on the south coast over the weekend, after trying to make the 70 mile journey from Normandy.
Home Office data suggests 768 migrants arrived in the UK after attempting to cross the English Channel between September 1 and September 7.
A total of 10 boats were recorded arriving during that period.