Angola and Namibia have agreed to take back illegal migrants and criminals after the home secretary threatened to impose visa bans on them if they failed to do so.
In November, Shabana Mahmood also warned the government would impose visa sanctions on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) if it refused to co-operate.
While Angola and Namibia “have met the gold standard by agreeing to improve their processes, the DRC has failed to do so,” the Home Office said.
It said as a result, VIPs and decision-makers in the African nation have now been stripped of preferential treatment and will have to apply for visas like everyone else, with fast-track visa processing services revoked for all the country’s nationals.
The Home Office said there had been “some engagement” by the DRC but the home secretary warned “further measures” will be introduced unless co-operation improves, “up to a complete halt on visas”.
“We expect countries to play by the rules. If one of their citizens has no right to be here, they must take them back,” Ms Mahmood said.
“I thank Angola and Namibia and welcome their co-operation. Now is the time for the Democratic Republic of Congo to do the right thing. Take your citizens back or lose the privilege of entering our country.
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“This is just the start of the measures I am taking to secure our border and ramp up the removal of those with no right to be here.”
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The measures are part of the government’s efforts to scale up the removal and deportation of illegal migrants.
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The Home Office said since July 2024, the government has deported nearly 50,000 people with no right to be in the UK, a 23% increase. During the same period, over 7,000 foreign national offenders have been returned from the UK.
