Migration Agreement Between British and French Governments

Britain and France have made a decision to return illegal asylum seekers and have reached an agreement on this matter.

According to a decision made by the British and French governments regarding illegal asylum seekers, which was subsequently approved by the European Union, the British government will begin implementing a plan to detain and return asylum seekers who migrate to the country through the English Channel and in small boats.

According to the aforementioned agreement, which has also been approved by the European Union, the British Home Office can return some asylum seekers who migrate to Britain through the English Channel in small boats to France, and in return, will accept a specified number of asylum seekers from France through legal and safe routes.

The aforementioned plan will be implemented on a trial basis until July 2026 and is designed according to a “one-for-one” model, meaning that for each illegal migrant returned to France, one asylum seeker will be accepted from France through legal channels. According to this plan, it is estimated that during this trial period, approximately 50 people per week will be returned to France.

Furthermore, according to the provisions of this agreement, individuals who intended to enter Britain through illegal means will not be eligible to use legal asylum routes. This decision was made at a time when approximately 25,000 asylum seekers entered Britain through the English Channel in small boats since the beginning of this year. According to published statistics, only 898 people crossed through this channel to Britain on July 30.

The British Home Office also announced that it is not only fully prepared to implement this plan, but also has made the necessary preparations, including clearing space in migrant detention centers and implementing a new program for identifying and detaining migrants.

Despite British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasizing that this agreement is the result of months of diplomacy and could prevent human trafficking groups, Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow Home Secretary, announced that this plan will make no difference and attributed the increase in illegal migrants through the English Channel to the cancellation of the Rwanda plan.

Yvette Cooper, the British Home Secretary, also stressed that the government will seriously defend this plan against any legal challenges.