UK Threatens Eritreans with Total Visa Ban Over Migrant Return Policy

Shabana Mahmood, Britain's Home Secretary arrives for a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street in London, 21 July 2026.

By Africa News

United Kingdom

Britain’s Home Secretary has threated to ban all Eritreans from entering the country unless Asmara agrees to the return of more small boat migrants and convicted criminals.

Shabana Mahmood said on Thursday that VIPs and officials from Eritrea have already been stripped of fast-track access to UK visas.

And as of today, diplomats based in the UK will face restrictions on their movements outside London.

It said they will now be barred from travelling 60 kilometres beyond the capital without permission from the Foreign Office.

The Home Office said the warning comes after Eritrea abruptly withdrew returns cooperation earlier this year and after months of efforts by London to resolve the matter privately.

Eritreans were the most common nationality arriving in the UK by small boat in the year ending June 2026.

The British government said returns arrangements are vital for failed asylum seekers and criminals.

It says less than 4 per cent of the 2,626 Eritreans whose asylum claims were rejected in the past four years have been deported.

Mahmood says other nations could face similar visa restrictions if they fail to accept migrant returns.