UK Threatens Total Visa Ban On Eritreans Over Migrant Returns

The United Kingdom has threatened to impose a blanket visa ban on Eritrean nationals unless the Eritrean government agrees to accept more citizens facing deportation, including failed asylum seekers and convicted criminals.

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the measures on Thursday, saying the UK had already withdrawn fast-track visa access from Eritrean officials and other high-profile individuals.

Under the new restrictions, Eritrean diplomats based in Britain will also be required to obtain permission from the Foreign Office before travelling more than 60 kilometres outside London.

The UK Home Office said the measures followed Eritrea’s decision to withdraw cooperation on migrant returns earlier this year, despite months of diplomatic efforts to resolve the disagreement privately.

According to British authorities, Eritreans were the most common nationality among people arriving in the UK by small boat in the year ending June 2026.

The government said cooperation on returns was necessary to ensure that people whose asylum applications had been rejected, as well as foreign nationals convicted of crimes, could be returned to their countries of origin.

It disclosed that fewer than four per cent of the 2,626 Eritreans whose asylum claims were rejected over the past four years had been deported.

Mahmood warned that other countries could face similar visa restrictions if they failed to cooperate with Britain on the return of their nationals.

The dispute highlights growing tensions between London and Asmara over migration policy and the enforcement of deportation arrangements.

The proposed blanket visa ban would represent a further escalation if Eritrea does not agree to resume cooperation with British authorities.