Starmer Suggests Visa Clampdown for Countries Failing to Cooperate on Illegal Immigration

The prime minister made the comments as French police deployed more robust tactics on its beaches in an attempt to stop illegal migrants crossing the Channel.

A group of illegal migrants board a dinghy near the beach at Gravelines, France, on June 17, 2025. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has signalled that visa restrictions could be imposed on nations that refuse to cooperate on returns or fail to take sufficient action to prevent illegal immigration from their countries.

Starmer told reporters during the G7 summit in Canada on Tuesday that he was looking at a “smarter use of our visas” and “whether we should tie our visas to the work that the countries we’re dealing with are doing on preventative measures and on return agreements.”

A Number 10 spokesman later elaborated that this was part of a “more hard-edged approach to diplomacy and migration.”

The spokesman said, “This is at an early stage, but the principle is clear: if a country won’t co-operate on returns or prevention, they shouldn’t expect visa privileges to carry on as normal.”

“No one has a right to a UK visa, and this government is making sure the rules are enforced,” he added.

Dash Towards English Channel on French Coast

The prime minister made the comments as French police deployed more robust tactics on the country’s beaches in an attempt to stop illegal migrants crossing the English Channel.

On Tuesday morning, officers fired teargas as hundreds of illegal migrants gathered on the dunes at Gravelines beach near Calais, before many made a dash for the water to board a dinghy.

The scramble came the day after Starmer met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss cross-Channel illegal immigration, a situation which Downing Street admitted was “deteriorating.”

British and French officials will hold a summit in July focusing on illegal immigration, the prime minister’s office confirmed.

Starmer’s government has been working with French counterparts on taking further action in northern France, which is where most of the boats depart from.

Illegal migrants emerge from bushes on a beach after French authorities had fired tear gas, in Gravelines, France, on June 17, 2025. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

According to analysis of provisional Home Office figures by The Epoch Times, 16,545 people have crossed the English Channel by small boat so far this year, up 45 percent on the same point last year, when 11,431 arrived, and higher than the 11,139 who landed on Britain’s shores by June 16, 2022, which was itself a record year.

In total, 167,683 illegal immigrants and asylum seekers have made the journey since records for this kind of illegal migration began in 2018.

Return Agreements Don’t Always Work

This and the previous Conservative governments have signed agreements with multiple countries on the return of illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers, including with Somalia, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Albania.

Oxford University’s Migration Observatory said that these deals can have an impact—noting that they can streamline returns processes, organise reintegration, and incentivise origin countries through development aid—but that they do not always guarantee returns.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer conducting media interviews during the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 17, 2025. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

According to the commentary published by the Oxford University project group in March, “Formal agreements are neither necessary nor sufficient to ensure a high number of returns.”

It said that the UK has returned a “significant number” of people to countries that it does not have agreements with, including Brazil and the Philippines. By contrast, the UK returns “very few people” to some countries it does have an agreement with, such as Somalia.

“Returns to other countries, such as Vietnam, have declined sharply despite the existence of long-standing bilateral or EU-wide agreements,” it said.

The Migration Observatory added that in some cases, returns rose sharply after an agreement was signed, noting Albania and India in particular, “though it remains unclear how much of this increase can be attributed to the respective deals.”

Many other factors affect the number of successful deportations with countries operating under returns deals, including “a decision to prioritise removing a particular group, as was seen in the case of Albanians in 2022.”

Enforced Returns

Government figures on returns published earlier this month show that enforced returns—where people are subject to deportation—have increased steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic era, with such returns in the year ending to March being 8,590, which is 22 percent higher than the previous year (7,037).

However, the number of enforced returns remains below 2010 levels, with enforced and voluntary asylum-related removals down 9 percent compared to that year.

The Home Office said that Albanians were the most common nationality to be deported over the last five years, accounting for 29 percent of all enforced returns in the past 12 months.

The department said this was as a result of London and Tirana signing the UK Albanian Joint Communique in December 2022, which included provisions for returning Albanian citizens. This deal was signed in response to a “substantial influx” of Albanians crossing the English Channel in small boats.

“Despite the prominence of Albanian nationals in enforced returns over the last 5 years, returns of this nationality have now started falling, down 11% in the year ending March 2025 compared with the previous year,” the department added.

PA Media contributed to this report.