US EditionUK and France agree to send some migrants arriving in Britain by boat back to France
UNITED KINGDOM, JUL 10 – The pilot scheme allows the UK to return some migrants crossing the Channel to France while admitting vetted asylum seekers via safe, legal routes, aiming to disrupt smuggling networks.
- On July 10, 2025, during a joint event in London, the UK Prime Minister and the President of France announced a new agreement to return migrants arriving in the UK via small boats back to France.
- The deal follows nearly 20,000 Channel crossings in the first half of 2025, an increase of almost 50% from 2024, and reflects recognition that stopping boats requires international cooperation.
- The agreement establishes a pilot scheme returning around 50 migrants weekly to France in exchange for the UK accepting a matching number of asylum seekers via a controlled safe route.
- Starmer stated that the policy will demonstrate that attempts to enter the UK via small boats will be unsuccessful and result in detention and repatriation, while also emphasizing support for genuine asylum seekers and implementing a robust crackdown on illegal employment across the country.
- Although hailed as a diplomatic milestone, critics question the pilot’s limited scale and its ability to deter crossings, noting success depends on reducing attempt numbers and breaking smuggling gangs’ business model.
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France is pushing the UK to crack down on illegal work in a bid to reduce Channel crossings.The UK and France this week confirmed a returns agreement, in which those arriving on small boats would be sent back to France, in exchange for the UK making a safe route for asylum seekers there who have not attempted to cross the Channel.Small boat arrivals have reached their highest ever level for the first six months of the year, and are set to soar a…
UK and France Strike Deal to Curb Migrants From Illegally Crossing English Channel
France and the UK have struck an agreement aimed at preventing migrants from illegally crossing the English Channel in small boats. Under the new returns pilot scheme, announced on Thursday, around 50 illegal immigrants a week will be sent back to France in return for Britain taking the same number of asylum-seekers in France, under a legal route. Asylum-seekers in France, with ties to the UK, can submit an Expression of Interest for legal entry…
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