UK-France ‘one in, one out’ migrant scheme scrapped
Image source, Getty Images-
Published
The UK government has announced the “one in, one out” agreement with France to send back some migrants who cross the Channel has been scrapped.
The pilot scheme allowed the UK to return some small boat arrivals while agreeing to take in the same number of people from France who were believed to have a legitimate claim to come to Britain.
Only around 1,500 people have been removed to France since the scheme began just over a year ago.
The BBC understands the government would have liked the scheme to continue, but felt it did not reach the desired scale.
A Home Office spokesperson said “lessons learned” would be used to “accelerate efforts” to return small boat migrants with no right to remain.
“The government’s pilot with France to remove asylum seekers in exchange for an equal number of legal migrants is no longer processing new cases,” the spokesperson said.
“However, flights will continue over the coming weeks to swiftly remove small boat migrants from the UK, and we will use lessons learned from the pilot to accelerate efforts to return small boat migrants with no right to remain in the UK.”
The government would continue working with France to tackle small boat crossings, the spokesperson said, adding that “real progress” had been made with numbers “significantly down on last year”.
The French Interior Ministry told the BBC: “We are discussing with the British the terms of exit from the agreement.”
How many people cross the English Channel in small boats?
Between 1 January and 27 September 2026, a total of 19,135 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France. This was down by 42% on the same period the previous year.
These crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
Nearly all those who arrive by small boat claim asylum. Under international law, this means they are allowed to stay in the country while their asylum application is considered.
Small boat arrivals made up 40% of asylum applications between July 2025 to June 2026.
Boats that arrived in the UK from 28 September 2025 to 27 September 2026 carried an average of 67 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.
Experts say overcrowding in boats makes crossings riskier. At least 84 people died while attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations (UN).
When looking at the scale of small boats crossings, the number of these arrivals is about 5% of the size of total immigration into the UK from January 2025 to December 2025.
The government has pledged to “smash the gangs” behind these crossings in order to reduce the numbers.
Who is arriving in the UK on small boats?
People from Eritrea accounted for 18% of all arrivals from July 2025 to June 2026.
In the latest figures covering January 2025 to December 2025, at least 2,335 people who arrived by small boat were found to be potential victims of human trafficking or other forms of modern slavery, according to the Home Office.
How else do people stay in the UK without permission?
Another 4,712 people were detected entering the UK without permission via other methods including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or through airports from July 2025 to June 2026. This was down by 17% on the same period the previous year.
There are also individuals who arrive legally, for example via a work or study visa, and then overstay their limit.
The total number of people who live in the UK illegally after arriving legally is not known.
Earlier this month, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood admitted the scheme had “not been without its challenges”.
“The numbers are still relatively small,” she told MPs.
“What has been more operationally difficult is to scale up very large numbers of removals every week into the French system.”
However, she also said the UN and other agencies had reported that some migrants were not getting on small boats because they thought there was a chance they could be accepted under the “one in, one out” scheme.
So far this year, 19,135 people have made the Channel crossing, which is 42% lower than the same period in 2025 when 32,188 crossed in small boats.
-
‘One in, one out’ scheme costs £56,000 per person returned to France, home secretary says
-
Published15 September
-
-
Legal advice delays for detained migrants – report
-
Published2 days ago
-
Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
