- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned Eritrea that its citizens face a complete UK visa ban if the country continues to refuse to take back its nationals, including convicted criminals and small boat migrants.
- Eritrean diplomats in the UK have already lost fast-track visa access and must now seek Foreign Office permission to travel outside London, according to a report in the Telegraph.
- The Home Secretary warned that other uncooperative nations could also face targeted visa restrictions if they fail to accept migrant returns.
- Similar sanctions previously forced Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to reach agreements with the UK on accepting returned citizens.
- Eritreans made up the second-highest number of asylum seekers in the UK in the year to June 2026, with an approval rate of 84 per cent.
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