France and Britain Extend One-in, One-Out Migrant Swap Deal to October 2026

France and Britain have extended their one-in, one-out migrant swap agreement until October 1, 2026, Emmanuel Haddad, France's minister delegate for Europe, told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday. The scheme began in September 2025. It allows the United Kingdom to return some migrants judged to have no right to remain after reaching its shores, while Britain accepts an equal number of migrants from France whose asylum claims are likely to succeed.

Priority goes to nationalities most exposed to smugglers and those with family or other ties to the United Kingdom. Haddad said the extension was agreed with the British partner. As of May 1, 2026, the arrangement had produced 606 readmissions to France and 588 legal admissions to the United Kingdom.

More than 41,000 migrants reached England's southern coast in 2025, the second-highest annual total since records began in 2018. At least 29 migrants died attempting the Channel crossing that year, and eight have died so far in 2026, according to an Agence France-Presse count drawn from official French and British sources.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in office since July 2024, and Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood face pressure to curb arrivals while the anti-immigrant Reform UK party leads opinion polls.

A photograph taken July 17, 2025, showed French gendarmes approaching migrants on an inflatable dinghy near the beach of Petit-Fort-Philippe in Gravelines, close to Calais.