Three African countries agree to take back UK migrants after visa penalty threat

Three African countries have agreed to take back migrants who have no right to be in the UK after the home secretary threatened to shut down their visas to Britain.

Namibia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have agreed to cooperate with the UK on returns of foreign national offenders, failed asylum seekers and those who have overstayed visas.

The DRC caved after home secretary Shabana Mahmood stripped VIPs and decision-makers of preferential visa treatment and revoked fast-track visas for DRC nationals, the Home Office said on Friday.

Ms Mahmood had also threatened visa penalties on Namibia and Angola, with the countries complying before she had to implement the measures.

More than 3,000 nationals from the three countries could now be removed from the UK due to the agreements, the government estimates.

Ms Mahmood said: “If foreign governments refuse to accept the return of their citizens, then they will face consequences.

“Illegal migrants and dangerous criminals will now be removed and deported back to Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

The Home Office has said that 58,500 foreign criminals and migrants with no right to be in the UK have been removed or deported since Labour entered government in 2024.

The announcement comes as Ms Mahmood prepares to introduce sweeping changes to how migrants gain permanent settlement in the UK.

The Home Office is consulting on plans, which include introducing a new 10-year wait for indefinite leave to remain, a 15-year baseline for care workers, and a 20-year wait for refugees.

New waits will be based on income thresholds, the person’s grasp of the English language, criminal record, and whether applicants have claimed benefits.

The changes will be applied retroactively, meaning foreign nationals who do not already have indefinite leave to remain in the UK – a form of permanent settlement – will be affected.

The proposals, which are due to be implemented in April, have prompted a growing backlash from Labour backbenchers who have branded the changes “the height of unfairness”.

Dozens of Labour backbench MPs criticised the plans in the Commons this week, calling them “un-British” and a “breach of trust” for migrants who arrived under existing rules.

Defending the changes to the Home Affairs Select Committee on Wednesday, Ms Mahmood said that she was acting to deal with “unprecedented” migrant numbers over the past few years.

“We’ve seen a much bigger range of lower-skilled migration... We’ve seen a very, very, large scale of migration into the country. I think that demands an answer from us,” she said.