UK threatens visa ban on Eritreans over migrant returns dispute
The United Kingdom has threatened to ban all Eritrean nationals from entering the country unless the East African nation’s government agrees to accept more deportees, including migrants who arrived in small boats and foreign national offenders.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the measures amid escalating tensions over Eritrea’s alleged refusal to cooperate with Britain’s efforts to return people who have no legal right to remain in the UK.
From Thursday, Eritrean diplomats will be prohibited from travelling more than 60 kilometres outside London without permission, while fast-track visas for VIPs will be suspended.
Mahmood warned that further restrictions could follow if Eritrea failed to cooperate.
“Eritrea has had every chance to accept the return of criminals and those with no right to be in the UK. Unlike other countries, it has refused,” she said.
She added that she would not hesitate “to impose further measures on other countries refusing to co-operate”.
The UK government accused Eritrean authorities of abruptly withdrawing cooperation earlier this year. The Home Office said the diplomatic travel restrictions mirrored those imposed on British officials in Eritrea’s capital, Asmara.
Eritrea dismissed the measures as a “perfunctory political gimmick”, accusing Britain of failing to engage in “meaningful and appropriate dialogue”.
Its embassy in London also alleged that British authorities had failed to disclose the return of offenders still serving prison sentences and had described deportations as voluntary when they were not.
The Eritrean government further claimed Britain had not issued visas to its officials since 2023, an assertion disputed by the Home Office, which said an Eritrean official had received an exemption from immigration control in August 2026.
According to Home Office figures, only seven Eritreans were returned directly from Britain to Eritrea in the 12 months to June. Another 244 were returned to other countries.
Eritreans accounted for 18 per cent of small-boat arrivals in the UK during the same period, making them the largest nationality group among arrivals.
The dispute comes amid longstanding international criticism of Eritrea’s human rights record. Human Rights Watch has accused its government of widespread repression, forced labour, compulsory conscription and restrictions on freedom of expression.
British officials say they hope the restrictions will ultimately restore cooperation between the two countries.
