The United Kingdom and France have agreed to strengthen their “one in, one out” migrant returns agreement after concerns emerged that some migrants who were deported to France were finding their way back into Britain through illegal routes.
Under the original deal, migrants arriving in the UK by small boats across the English Channel could be returned to France. In exchange, Britain would accept an equal number of asylum seekers from France through legal channels. However, authorities discovered that some migrants who had been returned to France were later re-entering the UK hidden in lorries.
To address the problem, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez agreed to amend the agreement. The revised arrangement will allow France to take back migrants who were previously removed under the scheme and later return to Britain illegally through any method.
As part of the changes, the UK Home Office has introduced a new category known as a “returnee case.” This classification applies to migrants who have already been deported to France under the agreement but subsequently make their way back into the UK.
Since the agreement came into effect on August 6 last year, Britain has returned 921 migrants to France. This represents around 3.5 percent of all migrants who arrived in the UK by small boats during the same period. In return, the UK has accepted 896 asylum seekers from France through legal migration pathways.
Reports indicate that at least six migrants who had previously been returned to France managed to re-enter Britain illegally. Some migrants claimed that people smugglers targeted them shortly after their arrival in France and forced them back into smuggling networks operating between the two countries.
According to reports, some returnees said smugglers monitored shelters in Paris where recently deported migrants stayed. They alleged that criminal groups pressured them into travelling back to Britain hidden inside lorries, highlighting the influence of human smuggling networks along migration routes.
The agreement was originally signed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron last July. Both leaders described the initiative as a major step toward reducing dangerous Channel crossings and disrupting people-smuggling operations.
The scheme was initially introduced as a pilot programme and was scheduled to end on June 11. However, both governments have agreed to extend it until October 1 while assessing its effectiveness and implementing the new changes.
Officials say the number of migrants crossing the English Channel has fallen by about one-third compared with the same period last year, although weather conditions are believed to have contributed to the decline. In April, the UK and France also confirmed a new £662 million cooperation package aimed at strengthening border security and reducing irregular migration.
A spokesperson for the UK Home Office said the agreement has already helped remove more than 900 migrants under the returns scheme. The government also reported that nearly 70,000 people classified as illegal migrants were returned between July 2024 and March 2026, representing a significant increase compared with previous years.