The UK and Bangladesh just teamed up to tackle illegal migration, and it’s kinda a big deal. They had this first Joint Working Group on Home Affairs in London and promised to work together more on economic, cultural, and social stuff.
The new returns deal means no more mandatory interviews if there’s solid proof for sending people back. So, failed asylum seekers, foreign offenders, and visa overstayers are gonna be sent back quicker now.
Michael Tomlinson, the Minister for Countering Illegal Migration, said speeding up removals is key to stopping illegal stays and praised Bangladesh as a valued partner. He’s pumped about this deal and wants to work with Bangladesh and others to make the system fairer. The group also promised to keep legal migration smooth, crack down on visa abuse with better data sharing and capacity building, and learn from each other about fighting serious organized crime.
This meeting followed a chat between Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and UK’s Indo Pacific Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan in Dhaka, where Hasina said Bangladesh has zero tolerance for illegal migration and Trevelyan thanked her for the new deal.
Last year, the UK sent 26,000 people back home, up 74% from 2022. A deal with Albania cut small boat arrivals from there by over 90%. Home Office activities to combat illegal migration went up with more enforcement visits and arrests, and detentions have started for the first flights to Rwanda in 8-10 weeks. The Rwanda plan aims to stop dangerous Channel crossings and ensure those arriving illegally can’t stay.
