British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has given Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a one-month ultimatum to start taking back their nationals whose UK asylum claims have been rejected — or face sweeping visa bans.
Mahmood warned she is prepared to block all tourist and VIP visas from the three African nations if they fail to cooperate, and said the policy could later be extended to other countries with high rates of unsuccessful asylum seekers who entered Britain legally.
“My message to foreign governments today is clear: accept the return of your nationals or you will lose the privilege of being able to enter our country,” she said.
According to the UK government, “thousands” of Angolan, Namibian and Congolese nationals are currently living in Britain illegally after their asylum applications were refused and removal efforts stalled.
The move comes as Mahmood presents a sweeping immigration reform package to Parliament on Monday, aimed primarily at reducing the number of people crossing the English Channel in small boats — an issue that has fuelled support for the anti-immigration Reform UK party and intensified pressure on the Labour government.
Almost 40,000 people have arrived in the UK on small boats so far this year, an increase on 2024 figures, despite previous deterrence measures and attempts to speed up processing and returns.
Harsher rules for asylum and settlement
Key elements of the new package include:
- Extending the qualifying period for permanent settlement from 5 years to 20 years for asylum seekers
- Mandatory status reviews every 2½ years to assess whether it is “safe” for them to return to their home countries
- Ending automatic access to social benefits for asylum seekers
- A new law to tighten and limit appeals under the European Convention on Human Rights, with the stated aim of speeding up deportations
- A requirement that asylum seekers who have significant assets must contribute to the cost of their accommodation, with “sentimental items” such as wedding rings exempt
Mahmood argues the measures are necessary to “restore fairness” to the system and ensure that those with no legal right to remain are removed quickly.
Critics, including refugee charities and human-rights groups, say the plans risk breaching international obligations, will push vulnerable people deeper into poverty, and weaponise visas and welfare as tools of coercive diplomacy.
With the one-month deadline now ticking for Luanda, Windhoek and Kinshasa, the row over returns and visa leverage is set to become an early test of how far the UK’s new government is willing — and able — to go in tightening its borders.
