The United Kingdom and France have reached a new immigration deal that will allow migrants in France to apply for a visa to enter Britain legally while their asylum claim is being processed.
According to documents published by the British Home Office, applicants who meet the criteria will be granted entry clearance for a maximum period of three months, after submitting an online application. During this time, they will be prohibited from working, studying and accessing public funds.
However, many questions about the scheme remain unanswered, including where migrants will be housed during their temporary stay and what will happen if their applications are later rejected. There are concerns that they could end up in state-funded hotels, at a high cost to British taxpayers.
The “one in, one out” scheme
The deal operates on the principle of “one in, one out”, meaning that the number of migrants accepted by France will be limited to the same number as those who will be deported from Britain and returned to France. However, the Home Office has not yet set an exact numerical limit for this exchange.
A preliminary report suggests that only about 50 migrants a week will be able to return to France, meaning a total of around 2,350 will be returned before the deal expires in June next year. This figure is far lower than the more than 25,000 migrants who have arrived in Britain by dinghy since the start of this year, a 49% increase on the same period last year.
Criticisms and reactions
The Conservative shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, criticised the deal as "an open door" to illegal immigration. He expressed concerns that it was unclear how cases of rejected asylum claims would be managed, or whether Britain would be able to deport rejected migrants to France, due to legal challenges.
On the other hand, organizations that protect the rights of migrants have said that the agreement is inhumane and unacceptable. Steve Valdez-Symonds of Amnesty International UK stated that this scheme treats refugees as "packages to be transferred" and warned of legal challenges against it.
Meanwhile, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, in an interview with BBC Radio 4, said the government would not publish exact figures on those being returned to France, arguing that this could help criminal people-smuggling groups. However, she promised continued transparency on the number of migrants intercepted and returned.
Cooper stressed that migrants who arrive illegally by dinghy could be selected for this new scheme and placed in detention centers while their asylum claim is processed.
The current agreement between Britain and France is valid until the end of June 2026, with the possibility of renewal. (A2 Televizion)
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