UK and France Extend Asylum Returns Deal Until Autumn

Britain and France have agreed to keep their bilateral asylum-seeker returns treaty running past its original expiry date of 11 June 2026, with the pact now set to remain in force until autumn.

The extension was confirmed in a letter from the Minister for Border Security and Asylum to the Home Affairs Select Committee. The letter, sent on 10 June, was made public the following day. Reports of an extension had already surfaced last month, when The Guardian indicated the so-called “one in, one out” pilot would be prolonged.

Speaking to the Home Affairs Committee last week, minister Alex Norris said the two governments had jointly decided to extend the UK–France Returns Treaty beyond mid-June into the autumn. He described the move as a reflection of the strength of cooperation between the two countries and a shared determination to tackle illegal migration and dismantle the business model of the criminal networks profiting from hazardous Channel crossings.

More than 900 Returned So Far

According to the letter, over 900 migrants have so far been sent back to France under the scheme, while a roughly equal number have entered the UK through the “safe and legal” pathway created as part of the deal.

Norris told the committee the government was committed to driving those figures higher in the months ahead.

A “Minor Amendment” to Close a Loophole

In addition to extending the timeline, the two governments have agreed what Norris called a minor adjustment to the treaty. The tweak is aimed at handling situations where someone previously returned to France under the agreement has later made their way back to the UK using methods other than small boats.

The minister explained that the treaty was originally drafted to cover only those arriving by small boat, since that remains the most common means of illegal entry into the UK from France. Anyone returned under the treaty who then crosses again by small boat has been, and will continue to be, sent back. However, a small number of cases have emerged in which people previously removed have slipped back into the UK through other clandestine channels. To address this, both countries have agreed to extend the treaty’s scope to clearly cover such cases.

Norris noted that the possibility of such an amendment had already been built into the treaty itself under Article 20, paragraph 1, which allowed both parties to agree changes needed to keep the treaty effective — including adjusting for the impact of irregular arrival routes other than small boats. He added that no further practical or legal steps were needed to put the amendment into effect.

How the Changes Were Agreed

Both the extension and the amendment have been formalised through an exchange of letters between London and Paris. Norris confirmed that the documents would be published in the UK Treaty Series as a Command Paper.

Because the changes were made under provisions already written into the original treaty, they do not have to go through the parliamentary ratification procedure set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act.

Wider UK–France Border Strategy

The treaty update follows a broader UK–France border security partnership unveiled in April. Under that wider agreement, Britain pledged £662 million across several years to support French efforts to prevent Channel crossings, bolster maritime operations and improve intelligence-sharing against people-smuggling networks.

In his letter, Norris said work to implement the new border security measures was already in progress ahead of the summer months, when Channel crossing attempts have traditionally surged.

Source: Electronic Immigration Network