The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, warned Eritrea on 15 October 2026 that she would block all visas for Eritreans unless the country rapidly agreed to accept the return of its nationals with no right to be in the UK. From that day, the Home Office scrapped Eritrea's preferential visa processing for VIPs and government officials, and Eritrean diplomats were barred from travelling more than 60 kilometres (37 miles) beyond London without Foreign Office permission.

According to the Home Office, Eritrea withdrew returns co-operation earlier in 2026, and Eritreans were the most common nationality arriving by small boat in the year ending June 2026. The department said the UK had spent months trying to resolve the matter privately. Angola, Namibia and the DRC, which had all since been threatened with visa penalties, had chosen to improve co-operation, it said. DRC restrictions were lifted after six months of sustained co-operation, with returns flights now running.

The government also cited a new migration deal with Egypt that it said would cut the time taken to return Egyptian nationals with no right to be in the UK by around 90%, from around 30 weeks to 3 weeks.