The UK could cut the number of visas granted to countries that delay or refuse returns of individuals with no right to remain in the UK.
In her first major engagement in post, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood reached an agreement with her counterparts from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – collectively known as the Five Eyes – to help boost the return of individuals who have no legal basis to remain in any of the partner countries.
The agreement establishes clear obligations for countries to accept the return of individuals who have no legal right to remain, aiming to build international consensus and accelerate the removal process.
It recognises the need for accountability and commits to tackling prolonged delays, refusals to issue travel documents, and limited engagement through firm action.
In cases where non-cooperative countries are unwilling to accept the enforced repatriation of their own nationals, this could lead to new measures, including appropriate adjustments to visa arrangements to reflect changes in immigration risk.
The joint statement takes immediate effect and reinforces the UK government’s commitment to strengthening the returns process.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said
Abuse of our immigration system is a serious threat to public safety – and it is one we are confronting alongside our closest allies.
This announcement sends a clear message to anyone seeking to undermine our border security. 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 reset of relationships with our international partners under this government, as part of the Plan for Change, is bearing fruit, with returns and disruption of criminal networks up since July last year. Now, we must go further.
Marking a renewed commitment to pool resources and strengthen joint operational frameworks, the Five Eyes also agreed to address the continued use of online platforms by migrants during their journeys, by exploring opportunities for coordinated operational measures against online threats that facilitate organised immigration crime.
Analysis shows that approximately 80% of migrants arriving via small boat report using social media during their journey to the UK, which could include responding to adverts for illegal journeys and communicating with smuggling gangs.
Spearheaded by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), this action aims to detect, disrupt, and deter individuals who facilitate people smuggling through advertising or act as agents for organised smuggling networks.
Since December 2021, the NCA has identified and removed over 23,000 posts, pages or accounts promoting organised immigration crime across online platforms, with more than 8,000 taken down in the past year alone – a 40% increase compared to the previous year.
Today’s agreements build on measures successfully delivered by the government in its first year, including the removal of over 35,000 individuals with no legal right to remain in the UK, nearly trebling the ‘Deport Now, Appeal Later’ scheme to cover 23 countries, strengthening existing returns arrangements, and securing new returns processes – including landmark agreements with France and Iraq.
