The UK government has on Monday warned that it would stop issuing visas to nationals from Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless those governments start accepting the return of their citizens who entered Britain illegally or were convicted of crimes.
The threat comes as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood prepares to unveil what the government has described as the “most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times.”
The three African countries are specifically being targeted, said a statement from the Home Office, due to “unacceptably low cooperation and obstructive returns processes.”
A photo released by the BBC on November 16 shows Mahmood on the network’s Sunday Morning program, where she defended her plans ahead of the announcement.
Immigration in the UK has become an increasingly hot-button issue and fuels momentum for the hard-right Reform UK party. Mahmood’s proposals, and particularly her hardline messaging on Channel crossings, are seen by many as an attempt to win back public support from Reform, which in several polls has overtaken the ruling Labour Party.
READ ALSO: UK To Cut Protections For Refugees Under Asylum Overhaul
Home Office minister Alex Norris told Sky News that Angola, Namibia, and DR Congo have “one month to get this in order,” with a warning that similar measures may soon be extended to other countries.
The government is also considering an “emergency brake” on visas for nationals of countries with high asylum-claim rates, even when they arrive legally.
Despite increasing asylum applications, the number of initial approvals issued by UK authorities actually fell between 2023 and 2024, according to government data.
The UK has issued thousands of visas in recent years through humanitarian pathways for Ukrainians, Afghans, and Hong Kong residents. However, the forthcoming reforms by Mahmood, emulating Denmark’s rigid system, will drastically reduce protections for refugees.
Key proposals include:
Ending automatic benefits for asylum seekers
Cutting refugee status from five years to 30 months
carrying out periodic reviews of refugee protection
Forcing refugees to return home once their countries are deemed safe.
Prolonging permanent residency waiting period from five to 20 years
Critics say the changes will condemn vulnerable people to longer-term instability. Labour MP Tony Vaughan told BBC’s Today program:
“We should be welcoming and integrating, not creating a situation of perpetual limbo and alienation. It doesn’t help refugees and it doesn’t help society.”
The government has defended the measures as essential to the restoration of public confidence in the immigration system.