Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has stripped Eritrean VIPs and government officials of fast-track access to UK visas and warned that all visas for Eritrean nationals will be blocked unless the country rapidly agrees to take back people with no right to be in the UK.
The move follows Eritrea's abrupt withdrawal of co-operation on returns earlier this year. Eritreans were the most common nationality arriving in the UK by small boat in the year ending June 2026, and returns arrangements are central to removing failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals.
With immediate effect, the Home Office has scrapped Eritrea's preferential visa processing for VIPs and officials. Eritrean diplomats will also be barred from travelling more than 60 kilometres (37 miles) beyond London without Foreign Office permission, mirroring restrictions placed on British officials in Asmara.
Shabana Mahmood: 'Take back your nationals'
"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," Shabana Mahmood said. "My message to the Eritrean government is simple: take back your nationals or face a complete ban on your citizens entering the UK."
She added that she would not hesitate to impose further measures on other countries refusing to co-operate. The Home Office said months of efforts to resolve the matter privately had been met by a refusal to engage constructively.
A tactic that has worked before
In her first week in post, Shabana Mahmood vowed to use visa penalties against countries that refuse to take back their citizens. Angola and Namibia quickly agreed enhanced arrangements after being threatened last autumn. The Democratic Republic of Congo was slower to act and faced visa restrictions, which have now been lifted after six months of sustained co-operation and the resumption of returns flights.
The Government is also strengthening returns deals elsewhere, including a new agreement with Egypt that is expected to cut the time taken to return Egyptian nationals with no right to be in the UK from around 30 weeks to three.
