Why did the pilot end?

The UK-France migrant returns pilot was designed to send some asylum seekers who crossed the English Channel in small boats back to France, while accepting the same number of people from France whom authorities judged to have a lawful basis to come to Britain. The UK government said it will no longer process new cases under the arrangement.

According to the BBC, the London government said it wanted the scheme to continue but concluded that it had not reached the scale expected. Since the arrangement began, the number of people returned to France has remained limited to around 1,500.

A Home Office spokesperson said some flights would continue in the coming weeks and that efforts to remove small-boat migrants who have no right to remain in the UK would be accelerated. France's Interior Ministry also said the two sides were discussing the conditions for leaving the agreement.

Crossings fell, but the risks remain

Between 1 January and 27 September 2026, the number of people who crossed the English Channel from France in small boats was recorded at 19,135. That was 42% lower than in the same period a year earlier.

Even so, small boats have remained the most common method detected for irregular entry into the UK since 2020. Nearly all of those who arrive this way apply for asylum and, under international law, can remain in the country while their claims are being processed.

What do the figures show?

  • Between July 2025 and June 2026, small-boat arrivals accounted for 40% of all asylum applications.
  • Between 28 September 2025 and 27 September 2026, the average number of people on boats reaching the UK was 67, more than double the 2021 level.
  • According to United Nations data, at least 84 people died in 2024 during attempts to cross the Channel.

Experts say overcrowding on the boats has made the crossings more dangerous. The government says it will try to reduce the numbers by targeting the smuggling networks behind the journeys.

What challenges did the UK government point to?

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood acknowledged earlier this month that the plan involved several operational difficulties. Mahmood said it was hard to scale up very high numbers of returns to the French system each week.

At the same time, the government argues that the pilot may have had a deterrent effect on some migrants. Officials said the United Nations and other organisations had reported that some people had not boarded small boats because of the possibility of being accepted under the scheme.

Data show that Eritrean nationals accounted for 18% of all arrivals in the July 2025-June 2026 period. It was also noted that at least 2,335 people who arrived in small boats between January and December 2025 were identified as potential victims of trafficking or modern slavery.