UK migrant returns: DRC, Namibia and Angola sign up after visa penalties threat

Three African countries have agreed to take back foreign offenders and illegal migrants after the UK Home Secretary threatened visa penalties. In December, Namibia and Angola agreed to cooperate on returns; the Democratic Republic of Congo has now joined. "My message is clear: if foreign governments refuse to accept the return of their citizens, then they will face consequences," she said following the agreement. The UK government had warned it would stop granting visas to people from Angola, Namibia and the DRC if their governments did not improve co-operation on removals. The Home Office had said that returns from the DRC, Angola and Namibia were being frustrated by paperwork and other obstacles, giving them a de facto veto. It had warned that the three countries faced penalties for their "unacceptably poor and obstructive returns processes". While setting out changes to the UK's asylum system in November, Mahmood said visa penalties would be applied to countries that failed to co-operate with returns policies. Penalties included an "emergency brake" on visas for countries with high asylum claims until they take back citizens in the UK illegally. Following the agreement with the three countries, Mahmood said: "Illegal migrants and dangerous criminals will now be removed and deported back to Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo." "I will do what it takes to secure our order and control to our borders," she added. The government says over 3,000 people from these three countries could be eligible to be removed or deported due to the cooperation. In the year ending September 2025, there were 36,475 returns and deportations from the UK, an 11% increase on the previous 12 months.

#UKImmigration #MigrantReturns #VisaPenalties