The UK Home Office announced on Saturday (27) that Angola and Namibia have agreed to accept the repatriation of illegal migrants and criminals after the British government threatened to impose visa sanctions on countries that refuse to cooperate.
According to Reuters, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been stripped of fast-track visa services and preferential treatment for VIPs and political decision-makers after failing to meet the UK’s requirements to improve cooperation.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that the United Kingdom could intensify measures up to a full suspension of visas for the DRC unless “cooperation improves rapidly.”
“We expect countries to comply with the rules. If one of their citizens has no right to be here, they should take them back,” the minister added.
The agreements mark the first major shift under reforms announced last month aimed at making refugee status temporary and speeding up the deportation of those who arrive illegally in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said that the United Kingdom has “removed more than 50,000 people with no right to remain” since July last year, an increase of 23% compared with the previous period, and instructed diplomats to give the highest priority to repatriations.
