Daijiworld Media Network – London
London, Nov 18: In a major policy shift, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday announced sweeping immigration reforms, including Trump-style visa bans on countries that fail to take back their criminals and illegal migrants.
The first nations to face these penalties are Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their citizens will no longer receive UK visas unless their governments cooperate swiftly on deportations. “These countries face penalties for their unacceptably low co-operation and obstructive returns processes,” the Home Office said, adding that thousands of their nationals living illegally in the UK are pending removal.
According to the Home Office, non-cooperation includes embassies delaying paperwork or insisting that deportees sign their own documents — a loophole that allows individuals to stall or block deportation.
India, identified by UK authorities as one of the most resistant countries in accepting its illegal migrants back, could be added to the visa-ban list over the next year, The Times (UK) reported.
The reforms also include a major overhaul of human rights laws often used by migrants to delay deportation. The UK plans to redefine Article 8 — the right to family and private life — to limit “family connection” to immediate relatives, such as parents or children. The government will also work with the Council of Europe to address what it calls the “over-expansive application” of Article 3, used to argue protection from inhuman or degrading treatment.
New legislation will further crack down on last-minute “bogus” modern slavery claims, requiring migrants to present all legal arguments in a single appeal. If they lose, removal will be mandatory.
The government also announced new capped work and study routes for genuine refugees, referred through partners like the UNHCR. British citizens will be encouraged to host refugees, similar to the Ukrainian sponsorship model, to reduce dependency on asylum hotels that cost £2.1 billion in 2024–25.
In the year ending June 2025, 5,475 Indians sought asylum in the UK — the sixth-largest group. Of these, 346 arrived illegally via small boats, while most others entered on visas, mainly student visas. Only 20 Indians were granted asylum, while 2,691 applications were rejected.
The UK government says the new policies will accelerate removals, deter illegal crossings and tighten the asylum system in the coming year.