The UK government is preparing to impose visa restrictions on countries that refuse to sign migrant return agreements, according to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This new approach is part of a broader strategy to reduce net migration and improve enforcement on migrant returns. Speaking at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Kananaskis, Canada, Starmer said the UK must take stronger action to ensure that individuals who have no legal right to remain in Britain are returned to their countries of origin.
At the summit, Starmer discussed the issue with leaders from France, Italy, and Germany. Their conversation focused on how they could collaborate using counter-terrorism measures and sanctions to manage rising migration pressures, particularly the increasing number of small boat crossings across the English Channel. Starmer expressed interest in building new bilateral return agreements with individual countries both within and outside of Europe. However, he acknowledged that the European Union favors a collective deal that applies across all member states, rather than separate arrangements with individual nations.
The visa restrictions would target countries that are unwilling to cooperate with the UK on repatriating their nationals who are denied asylum or overstaying their visas. This means fewer UK visas would be granted to citizens of such countries until they engage in meaningful cooperation on migration enforcement. Starmer’s remarks come as the UK continues to face political and public pressure to control its borders and address the record numbers of people arriving illegally, particularly by sea.
According to Starmer, it is no longer acceptable for countries to accept UK development aid, visa access, and trade benefits while refusing to cooperate on migrant returns. He said that by making visa access conditional, the UK would send a strong message and create incentives for countries to take back their nationals. While this plan is still in its early stages, it aligns with broader European and international efforts to establish more robust migration control frameworks.
The UK has already signed some returns agreements, but many countries, particularly those in Africa and Asia, have been slow to accept back citizens who are deported from the UK. With the current backlog in asylum claims and the rising cost of housing migrants, the UK government is under pressure to act swiftly.
The UK is also investing in enhanced border enforcement and international collaboration to deter illegal migration routes and dismantle smuggling networks. The visa restriction proposal would represent one of the more direct diplomatic tools used by the UK in this area, aiming to ensure that migration policies are backed by effective international cooperation.