The United Kingdom's new home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said Monday that the government could suspend visas for citizens of countries that refuse to take back nationals being deported from Britain, raising a coordinated proposal at a Five Eyes security meeting in London.
Speaking at the opening of the Five Eyes summit, which brought together ministers from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Mahmood said tighter measures — including the possible cutting of visas — would be considered to press governments that do not co-operate with returns. "For countries that do not play ball, we've been talking about how we can take much more co-ordinated action between the Five Eyes countries," she told reporters. "For us, that means including possibly the cutting of visas in the future, just to say we do expect countries to play ball, play by the rules, and if one of your citizens has no right to be in our country, you do need to take them back."
Mahmood framed the move as part of a wider effort to stem small-boat Channel crossings and said ministers were exploring all options to maintain border control. The proposal would rely on powers in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, legislation introduced under the previous Conservative government that allows the home secretary to impose a "visa penalty provision" on countries deemed uncooperative in relation to returns.
The five ministers attending the London meeting included U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Canada's Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree, Australia's Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke, and New Zealand's Attorney General Judith Collins. The gathering at the Honourable Artillery Company in central London also featured a display of security equipment and a drone on the grounds.
Details of how any visa-suspension scheme would operate have not been published. It was not clear whether measures would be reciprocal across Five Eyes members or apply solely as unilateral sanctions by the United Kingdom. Officials said discussions were at an early stage and further announcements would follow after internal government consideration.
The announcement comes as Britain grapples with a sharp rise in small-boat arrivals across the English Channel. Government figures cited by ministers show more than 30,000 people have crossed so far this year, including 1,097 recorded on Saturday, an increase of about 37% compared with the same point in 2024. The migrant crossings have been a central political challenge for the new Labour administration led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Mahmood's comments were her first major public statement on the small boats crisis since her appointment to the role. Her predecessor at the Home Office, Yvette Cooper, was moved to the Foreign Office last week after a Cabinet reshuffle. Ministers are also examining other measures to handle asylum seekers, including the possible use of military bases to accommodate arrivals while their claims are processed.
The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 specifies that a visa penalty provision may be used if a country's government is not co-operating on returns of its nationals from the United Kingdom. The practical application of such measures will depend on legal, diplomatic and operational assessments by the government and on ongoing conversations with Five Eyes partners.
Officials cautioned that any new measures would need to balance immigration enforcement with wider diplomatic and trade relationships, and that legal safeguards and appeals processes would remain in place for affected individuals. Further details and any formal proposals are expected to be set out by the Home Office in the coming weeks.