Three African countries agree to UK migrant returns after visa penalty threat

Three African countries have agreed to take back foreign offenders and illegal migrants after the UK Home Secretary threatened them with visa penalties.

A month after the threat from Shabana Mahmood, Namibia and Angola agreed to cooperate on returns. The Home Secretary has now also secured cooperation from the DRC.

"My message is clear, if foreign governments refuse to accept the return of their citizens, then they will face consequences," she said following the agreement.

The UK government had previously warned it would stop granting visas to people from Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) if their governments did not improve co-operation on removals.

The Home Office had said that returns from the DRC, Angola and Namibia were being frustrated - with paperwork not being processed or people being required to sign their own documents - giving them an effective veto.

It had warned that the three countries faced penalties for their "unacceptably poor and obstructive returns processes".

While setting out changes to the UK's asylum system in November, Mahmood warned visa penalties would be applied to countries that failed to co-operate with returns policies.

Penalties included an "emergency brake" on visas for countries with high asylum claims until they take back citizens in the UK illegally.

Following the agreement with the three countries, Mahmood said: "Illegal migrants and dangerous criminals will now be removed and deported back to Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo."

"I will do what it takes to secure our order and control to our borders,"she added.

The government says over 3,000 people from these three countries could be eligible to be removed or deported due to the cooperation.

The Home Secretary has indicated that ​countries which refuse to work with the UK on returns cannot expect a normal visa relationship, with further threats expected for lack of cooperation.

It is understood that India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Somalia and Gabon are all resistant to returns deals and it is possible that the government could look at sanctions for those countries.