HOME SECRETARY Shabana Mahmood has said the UK will take tougher action against countries that refuse to accept the return of their citizens, as Angola and Namibia agreed to cooperate on migrant returns while the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) faced visa restrictions.
Mahmood said Angola and Namibia had agreed to take back illegal migrants and foreign national offenders after the UK warned of visa penalties.
The Home Office described the agreements as the first major outcome of reforms announced last month to tighten asylum rules and speed up removals.
“We expect countries to play by the rules. If one of their citizens has no right to be here, they must take them back,” Mahmood said.
She thanked Angola and Namibia for their cooperation and warned that further action could follow against the DRC unless its approach changed.
The UK has removed fast-track visa services for people from the DRC and ended preferential treatment for VIPs and decision-makers, after the country failed to meet British requirements on migrant returns. Mahmood said Britain could go further and halt visas completely for the DRC if cooperation did not improve quickly.
The Home Office said returns to the UK from the DRC had been delayed by poor and obstructive processes, including paperwork not being completed. While there had been some engagement, officials said it fell short of what was required.
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK had removed more than 50,000 people with no right to remain since July last year, a rise of 23 per cent compared with the previous period.
She said diplomats had been instructed to make migrant returns a top priority.
A government source said Mahmood would not hesitate to impose visa bans on other countries that fail to take back their citizens.
The moves follow changes to the UK asylum system announced in November. Under the reforms, refugee status will become temporary, guaranteed housing support for asylum seekers will end, and new capped “safe and legal routes” into the UK will be introduced.
The Home Office said the agreements with Angola and Namibia could lead to the removal of thousands of people from the UK. It added that visa penalties, including an emergency brake, would remain an option for countries with high asylum claims until they cooperate fully.
(with inputs from Reuters)
