The UK government has announced it could reduce the number of visas offered to countries that refuse to take back their citizens who are living unlawfully in Britain.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, in her first major appearance since taking office, confirmed the new approach after reaching an agreement with partners from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – a group known as the “Five Eyes.”

The agreement sets out clear responsibilities for countries to accept the return of people who have no legal right to stay. The aim is to speed up removals, reduce delays, and hold countries accountable if they drag their feet or refuse to issue travel documents.

If a country continues to block the return of its citizens, the UK could respond by restricting or cutting visa numbers – a step designed to reflect the increased immigration risks.

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".

The announcement underlines the government’s pledge to toughen the returns system. According to the Home Office, removals and disruption of criminal networks have already increased since last July under its “Plan for Change.”

Alongside the returns agreement, the Five Eyes also committed to tackling the role of online platforms in illegal migration. Research shows that around 80% of people arriving in the UK by small boat use social media to plan their journey, often finding smugglers or responding to adverts for illegal crossings.

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) is leading efforts to crack down on this online activity. Since December 2021, the NCA has taken down more than 23,000 online posts, pages, or accounts linked to organised immigration crime, including 8,000 in the past year alone – a 40% rise on the previous year.

The government says today’s announcements build on progress made in its first year, including:

- Removing over 35,000 people who had no legal right to remain.

- Expanding the “Deport Now, Appeal Later” scheme to 23 countries.

- Strengthening existing returns deals and signing new ones, including with France and Iraq. Photo by Steve Cadman, Wikimedia commons.