Angola and Namibia have agreed to accept the return of illegal migrants and convicted offenders after the UK government warned it would impose visa restrictions on countries that refuse to cooperate, the Home Office said late Saturday.
In contrast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been stripped of fast‑track visa processing and preferential treatment for senior officials after failing to meet Britain’s demands for improved cooperation. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the UK could go further and suspend all visas for the DRC if progress does not come quickly.
“We expect countries to play by the rules. If one of their citizens has no right to be here, they must take them back,” she said.
The new agreements with Angola and Namibia are the first major steps under recently announced reforms aimed at making refugee status temporary and accelerating the removal of people who enter the UK illegally.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK has removed more than 50,000 people with no legal right to stay since July last year a 23 percent rise compared with the previous period and has instructed British diplomats to prioritise return agreements with foreign governments.
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