Eritrea visa ban threat as UK presses migrant returns

UK targets Eritrea with visa penalties over failed deportations

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the warning on Thursday, accusing the African nation of blocking efforts to deport people who have no right to stay in the UK, including foreign offenders. 

As an initial step, Eritrean diplomats are now barred from travelling more than 60km beyond London, and a fast-track visa service for high-profile visitors has been suspended.

The dispute comes as Eritreans make up a larger proportion of Channel small boat arrivals than any other nationality. 

Figures from the House of Commons Library show they accounted for 18% of crossings in the 12 months to June.

According to the Home Office, Eritrea suddenly stopped co-operating with the return of its citizens earlier this year. 

Mahmood said the UK had repeatedly given the country opportunities to accept people being deported, but those efforts had been rejected.

She also warned that other countries refusing to take back their nationals could face further penalties, signalling that the government is prepared to use visa restrictions to secure co-operation.

Asylum success rates complicate UK’s plan

The strategy has already been used against several other African countries. Angola and Namibia agreed to improve their co-operation before restrictions came into force, while the UK later removed restrictions on the Democratic Republic of Congo after progress was made on returns.

However, there are doubts about whether the same approach will work with Eritrea. 

Dr Madeleine Sumption of the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that targeting the country was unlikely to have much effect on migration.

One reason is that many Eritreans who arrive in Britain are granted asylum and therefore cannot simply be deported. 

About 84% of Eritrean asylum applicants are successful at their initial assessment, with others winning their cases on appeal.

The government's announcement comes as immigration and small boat crossings remain major political flashpoints in Britain, with Reform UK also placing the issue at the centre of its campaign. 

Ministers hope the restrictions will persuade Eritrea to restart co-operation, but it remains uncertain whether the threat of a wider visa ban will achieve that goal.