UK to Curb Visas for Countries Refusing Migrant Returns

UK government has announced it will consider suspending or restricting visas for countries that fail to cooperate on the return of individuals with no legal right to remain.

In her first major engagement as Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood reached a landmark agreement with her counterparts from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, setting out a coordinated approach to irregular migration and returns.

The agreement establishes obligations for countries to accept their nationals back promptly when their right to remain has been refused in the UK. Where governments fail to engage, delay issuing travel documents, or outright refuse to take back their citizens, new measures could follow, including restrictions or suspensions of visas.

Ms Mahmood underlined the government’s stance:

“Abuse of our immigration system is a serious threat to public safety and it is one we are confronting alongside our closest allies. If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, we will deport you. If countries refuse to take their citizens back, we will take action.”

The Home Secretary has made border security her central priority. She insisted the UK would “go further and faster” than previous efforts, pledging to enforce existing powers under the Nationality and Borders Act and to build on bilateral agreements such as the “one in, one out” deal with France.

Since July last year, the government has reported a rise in removals and disruption of criminal networks, with over 35,000 individuals with no right to remain deported in the first year of Labour’s Plan for Change.

Saturday alone saw 1,097 people cross the Channel, bringing this year’s total to more than 30,000, a record at this stage in the calendar year. Ms Mahmood described the figure as “utterly unacceptable” and confirmed that first deportations under the Franco-British treaty are imminent.

The Five Eyes ministers including US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Canadian Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and New Zealand’s Judith Collins, endorsed the new framework for collective action.

The joint statement, which took immediate effect, reinforces accountability for governments obstructing returns and signals a tougher line on immigration enforcement across all five nations.

Alongside the returns policy, ministers also committed to tackling organised immigration crime, particularly the exploitation of online platforms by smuggling gangs.

Analysis indicates that 80% of small-boat arrivals report using social media during their journeys, often engaging with adverts for illegal crossings and communicating with people smugglers.

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has already removed more than 23,000 posts, pages, or accounts linked to organised immigration crime since December 2021. More than 8,000 of these were taken down in the past year alone, marking a 40% rise in enforcement activity.

While the Home Secretary ruled out leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, she indicated the government will bring forward proposals to adjust domestic legislation and guidance on its implementation, arguing that the balance between human rights and border security “isn’t in the right place at the moment”.

The agreement with Five Eyes partners marks a significant shift in the UK’s approach, combining diplomatic pressure with operational measures. By linking visa access to cooperation on returns, ministers hope to accelerate removals, deter irregular migration and strengthen the integrity of the immigration system.

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