The United Kingdom and France have ended a pilot agreement designed to reduce the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, bringing an early end to a scheme that allowed some people arriving in Britain irregularly to be returned to France.
The UK Home Office confirmed on Wednesday that the so-called “one in, one out” arrangement is no longer accepting new cases.
Under the agreement, migrants who reached the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats could be detained and returned to France. In return, Britain accepted a similar number of asylum seekers who had applied through an approved legal route.
The scheme was introduced as part of efforts by both countries to tackle irregular migration across the Channel, one of the most closely watched migration routes into the UK.
Home Office figures show that 1,117 asylum seekers were transferred from France to the UK between August 2025 and June 2026 under the arrangement. During the same period, 1,087 people were returned to France after making the Channel crossing.
The agreement had originally been expected to operate for three years, but it included provisions allowing either country to end the arrangement before that period expired.
The UK government said cooperation with France on small-boat crossings would continue despite the decision to stop processing new cases under the pilot.
“We continue to work with France to relentlessly tackle small boat crossings, and we’ve made real progress,” the Home Office said.
Although no new cases are being processed, people who were already detained under the scheme can still be returned to France. The government said deportation flights involving those cases would continue in the coming weeks.
The decision comes as the number of people crossing the Channel has changed significantly compared with the previous year. British authorities have attributed part of the reduction to increased policing and surveillance operations in northern France.
Despite the reported decline, dangerous crossings continue, with overcrowded boats and difficult sea conditions posing serious risks to passengers.
The dangers were highlighted again on Monday when a 10-year-old child and two women died after apparently being crushed or trampled on a boat carrying more than 100 people during an attempted Channel crossing.
The UK and France have continued to face pressure to reduce irregular migration while also maintaining legal routes for people seeking protection.
The end of the pilot means the two countries will now need to rely on other arrangements and enforcement measures as they continue efforts to address Channel crossings.