UK restricts DRC visas over migrant return row

A row between the United Kingdom and the Democratic Republic of the Congo has escalated over what London calls Kinshasa’s refusal to cooperate with its new policy of returning undocumented migrants and people convicted of crimes.

On Saturday, the UK’s Home Secretary announced that she was stripping the DRC of fast-track visa service and preferential treatment for VIPs and government officials. Shabana Mahmoud warned that London could block visas to all Congolese citizens unless Kinshasa steps up cooperation.

“This is just the start of the measures I am taking to secure our border and ramp up the removal of those with no right to be here,” Mahmoud said. “We expect countries to play by the rules. If one of their citizens has no right to be here, they must take them back."

Mahmoud praised Namibia and Angola for agreeing to cooperate with the changes.

Immigration reform

The move follows sweeping immigration reforms Mahmoud introduced last month, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government looks to stem the flow of irregular migrants to the country.

The changes include making asylum status temporary and speeding up deportation for migrants who arrive in Britain without documents. Asylum applications will be reviewed every 30 months and people will have to return to their home countries once they are deemed safe. Asylum seekers will also have to wait 20 years before applying for permanent residency, up from five years currently.

Official figures show that UK asylum applications have reached a record high, with more than 100,000 people asking to remain in the country in the year to June 2025.

Government critics have called the new measures "barbaric," and accused the government of departing from Britain's historic commitment to protecting refugees in a effort to appease the far-right.