London threatens to stop issuing visas to countries that do not take back migrants

The UK is considering restricting visa issuance for countries that refuse to take back their citizens who are in the UK without legal residency status.

The new Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced this move after talks with partners in the Five Eyes group—the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The aim is to tighten border controls and send a clear signal to uncooperative countries.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the countries wanted to share information about migrants' criminal histories and work together to combat the misuse of technology by cartels.
She also defended a raid on South Korean workers in the US state of Georgia as a lawful action.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under growing pressure to curb irregular border crossings and is increasingly taking a tougher line to appeal to Reform UK voters.

Mahmood emphasized that her ministry would not hesitate to implement visa restrictions if necessary.

(reuters, red)