Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has threatened Eritrea with a complete visa ban unless the country agrees to accept the return of its nationals convicted of crimes and those deemed to have no right to remain in the UK.
Mahmood told the Telegraph that Eritrea has "refused" to co-operate on migrant returns despite being given repeated chances. "Take back your nationals or face a complete ban on your citizens entering the UK," she said, adding that other nations refusing to co-operate could face similar restrictions.
The UK has already begun escalating pressure on Eritrea's government. Eritrean diplomats in Britain have had their fast-track visa access removed and now face restrictions on travel outside London without Foreign Office permission.
The approach mirrors earlier actions against Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2025. Both Angola and Namibia agreed to co-operate after warnings. The DRC capitulated after VIPs and decision-makers lost preferential visa access and nationals lost fast-track treatment. The country reached an agreement with the UK in February. More than 3,000 nationals from those three countries could now be removed from the UK as a result, the government said.
In March, the government halted study visas for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, and work visas for Afghans, after Mahmood accused those countries of exploiting Britain's asylum system.
Government figures show 6,952 Eritrean asylum seekers arrived in the UK in the year to June 2026. That represents the second-highest number by nationality after Pakistan, with 5,875 arriving by small boat. Eritrea also has the second-highest asylum approval rating of any country at 84 per cent, behind only Sudan at 92 per cent.