World · Europe · 1 day ago
UK-France scheme to return Channel migrants ends after moving about 1,500 people
The UK and France have ended a scheme that returned some small-boat arrivals to France while bringing other asylum seekers to the UK through a legal route.
About 1,500 people were moved in both directions under the arrangement.
The UK government concluded that the scheme had too many problems to expand effectively.
In northern France, asylum seekers are still waiting to cross the Channel, and smugglers are preparing small boats.
Aid groups say conditions in camps are poor and report more police violence against migrants in recent months.
The UK has announced the reopening of its refugee resettlement scheme, which is expected to help only a few hundred people a year.
Aid groups are calling for a broader discussion about how to address Channel crossings.
The UK-France “one in, one out” scheme to return Channel migrants has ended after moving about 1,500 people in both directions.
The scheme exchanged the forced return to France of one small-boat arrival for the legal arrival in the UK of another asylum seeker.
The British government concluded that problems prevented the scheme from being effectively scaled up.
Aid groups in northern France say the scheme’s end should prompt wider discussion about how to address Channel crossings.
The UK government has reopened its resettlement scheme for new referrals, which the Guardian says is likely to assist only a few hundred refugees a year.
- Who
- The UK and French governments ran the scheme, which involved asylum seekers travelling in both directions.
- What
- The “one in, one out” scheme to return Channel migrants has ended after moving about 1,500 people.
- When
- The scheme’s end was reported on 11 October 2026. The exact date it ended is not stated.
- Where
- Across the English Channel, between the UK and France.
- Why
- The British government concluded that problems meant the scheme could not be effectively scaled up.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The scheme moved about 1,500 people in both directions across the Channel.
The UK-France “one in, one out” scheme was brought to an end.
- People moved
- Approximately 1,500 in both directions
- Scheme
- One in, one out
- Countries involved
- UK and France
- UK resettlement scheme
- Reopened for new referrals
What people are saying
The UK government wants to stop the smugglers, but they are smart. They have plan A, plan B and plan C, so there is always a way for them to get people across this sea.
Just last week, the home secretary announced the reopening of the UK resettlement scheme for new referrals, providing genuine refugees with a safe and legal route to the UK.
The government’s increasingly brutal efforts to stop people trying to reach the UK by boat are failing.
Sources
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