UK and France extend migrant returns agreement by three months

British and French officials have agreed to extend a migrant returns agreement signed last year for three months and to close a loophole that permitted some people removed to France to re-enter the UK. The extension runs through October and covers the summer period when small-boat crossings typically increase.

Officials created a new category called "Returnee Case" to cover migrants who had previously been removed under the scheme.

Extension and new rules The original treaty took effect on August 6 and allowed the UK to return migrants who arrived by small boat in exchange for accepting asylum seekers from France. Under the agreement, the UK has removed 921 people to France while accepting 896 asylum seekers.

The new rules apply the treaty to any migrant previously removed who returns to the UK by any illegal route, including in lorries. A Home Office spokesman said more than 900 migrants have been removed under the agreement and that total removals of illegal migrants reached nearly 70,000 between July 2024 and March 31 2026.

Channel crossings and recent incident GB News reported that more than 10,000 migrants crossed the Channel this year, including 236 arrivals recorded on Saturday alone. French authorities stated they had intercepted two-thirds of attempted crossings.

On the same day a woman died after a small boat reached the Western Docks in Dover. Kent Police and Border Security Command Maritime responded; a Government spokesman confirmed the death and noted the dangers of such crossings. The precise number of people who returned to the UK after removal under the original scheme remains unknown because many do not contact authorities.