Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned that all entry for Eritreans to the UK will be halted unless an agreement is reached to deport criminals and irregular migrants, reports BritPanorama.
From Thursday, travel curbs will be imposed on diplomats from the east African nation, alongside the removal of fast-track visa access and preferential processing for VIPs.
However, the practical effect of these restrictions remains uncertain, given the minimal volume of legal travel from Eritrea to the UK.
According to Eritrea’s Embassy in London, “The UK has not issued a single visa to an Eritrean official since 2023.”
Data from the Home Office reveals that only 77 work visas were granted to Eritrean nationals in the year leading to June, representing 0.03 per cent of the 234,841 total.
Study visas showed an even lower share, with Eritreans receiving just 33 of the 385,974 issued, accounting for 0.01 per cent.
Similarly, they accounted for only 269 of the total 2.2 million tourist visas issued during the same period (0.01 per cent).
In contrast, Eritreans were the most common nationality among migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel, according to the Home Office. Some 18 per cent of those arrivals whose nationality was known were from Eritrea, totaling 5,875 out of 32,234.
Eritrean nationals also ranked as the second most common nationality claiming asylum in the UK within the year, accounting for 8 per cent of the total (6,952 out of 85,891). The grant rate for initial asylum decisions from Eritreans was 84 per cent, the second highest.
It is understood there are around 230 Eritrean foreign criminals that the UK is seeking to deport.
Of the 85,858 prisoners behind bars in England and Wales at the end of June, 160 (0.2 per cent) were Eritrean, according to Ministry of Justice figures.
Ms Mahmood emphasized that Eritrea could face a complete visa ban unless it agrees to the return of more small boat migrants and convicted criminals. “Eritrea has had every chance to accept the return of criminals and those with no right to be in the UK. Unlike other countries, it has refused,” she stated.
“My message to the Eritrean government is simple: take back your nationals or face a complete ban on your citizens entering the UK. I will not hesitate to impose further measures on other countries refusing to cooperate.”
Mahmood’s statements underscore the ongoing challenges surrounding migration and deportation policies between the UK and countries of origin for migrants. The potential impact of these measures on Eritrean nationals and the broader immigration landscape remains to be seen.
