UK Home Secretary threatens a Trump-style visa ban in new reforms
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood plans to impose Trump-style visa bans on three African countries if they fail to take back illegal migrants as part of “sweeping reforms” of the UK’s immigration system.
Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo will face visa sanctions, blocking their tourists, VIPs, and business people from travelling to Britain if they do not improve co-operation on removals.
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Mahmood said, “In Britain, we play by the rules. When I said there would be penalties for countries that do not take back criminals and illegal immigrants, I meant it.
“My message to foreign governments today is clear: accept the return of your citizens or lose the privilege of entering our country.”
The move is said to have been inspired by President Trump‘s homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, who has overseen the mass deportation policy in the US, according to The Times.
Mahmood will address the House of Commons on Monday, November 17, 2025, to lay out “the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times”, effectively since the Second World War.
Modelled on the Danish system, the aim is to make the UK less attractive for illegal immigrants and make it easier to deport them.
Under the plans, the home secretary will bring forward a bill to change how article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the right to family life, is applied in migration court cases.
Tighten laws for immigrants
The Home Office has said it’s seen a rise in the use of rights-based appeals in recent years as a means of avoiding deportation.
The changes would see only those with immediate family in the UK, such as a parent or child, being able to use article 8 in the future.
The home secretary, who has been in the job for 73 days, also plans to change the law so that multiple attempts to appeal against refusals for asylum will no longer be allowed.
Furthermore, refugees would face a 20-year wait before they can apply for permanent settlement.
The Home Office said the “golden ticket” deal has seen asylum claims surge in the UK, drawing people across Europe, through safe countries, on to dangerous small boats.
Under the proposals, refugee status would become temporary and subject to regular review, with refugees removed once their home countries are deemed safe.
Housing and weekly allowances would also no longer be guaranteed.
