Three African countries agree to UK migrant returns after visa penalty threat
Three African countries have agreed to take back foreign offenders and illegal migrants after Britain’s Home Secretary threatened them with visa sanctions.
A month after Shabana Mahmood’s threats, Namibia and Angola agreed to cooperate on returns. The Minister of the Interior has now also obtained the cooperation of the DRC.
“My message is clear: if foreign governments refuse to accept the return of their citizens, they will suffer the consequences,” she said after the agreement.
The UK government previously warned it would stop granting visas to people from Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) if their governments did not improve cooperation on deportations.
The Home Office said returns from the DRC, Angola and Namibia were frustrated – with paperwork not being processed or people being forced to sign their own documents – giving them an effective veto.
He warned that the three countries risked sanctions for their “unacceptably poor and obstructive return processes”.
While outlining changes to Britain’s asylum system in November, Mahmood warned that visa sanctions would be applied to countries that did not cooperate with return policies.
The sanctions included an “emergency brake” on visas for countries with high asylum claims until they illegally take their citizens back to the UK.
Following the agreement with the three countries, Mahmood said: “Illegal migrants and dangerous criminals will now be deported and deported to Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
“I will do what is necessary to ensure our order and control at our borders,” she added.
The government says more than 3,000 people from these three countries could be deported or deported through cooperation.
The Home Secretary said countries that refuse to work with the UK on returns cannot expect a normal visa relationship, and further threats are expected due to a lack of cooperation.
It is understood that India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Somalia and Gabon are all reluctant to return deals and it is possible the government could consider sanctions against these countries.
