UK Ends One In One Out Migrant Returns Deal With France
The UK has ended its one in one out migration agreement with France after a year long pilot aimed at reducing Channel crossings.
The scheme allowed Britain to return certain migrants to France after they had crossed the English Channel in small boats, while accepting an equivalent number of asylum seekers from France through legal routes. The arrangement was introduced as part of efforts to discourage people from making dangerous journeys across the Channel and to disrupt the activities of people smuggling gangs. The pilot was launched in 2025 and was later extended until October 1, 2026.
Under the agreement, migrants arriving in the UK by small boat could be detained and considered for return to France where they met the requirements of the arrangement. In return, France provided people seeking asylum who were considered eligible for protection and who had relevant links to the UK. Priority could be given to vulnerable nationalities and people with family or other connections in Britain.
The British government had presented the agreement as an important part of its wider strategy for tackling irregular migration. The arrangement was intended to create a direct consequence for people who attempted to cross the Channel illegally while providing a legal alternative for some asylum seekers. However, the number of people returned under the pilot remained relatively small compared with the overall number of small boat arrivals.
Figures covering the period from August 4, 2025 to June 30, 2026 show that 1,087 people were returned to France under the scheme. During the same period, 1,117 people were transferred from France to the UK through the legal route established by the agreement. The figures came against a total of 27,920 people who arrived in Britain by small boats over the same period.
The relatively low number of returns meant that only about four per cent of small boat arrivals were sent back under the pilot during the period covered by the latest figures. The limited scale of the operation became one of the main questions surrounding its effectiveness. Although the government argued that the scheme could deter crossings, the number of people affected remained a small proportion of those making the journey.
The cost of operating the returns programme also came under scrutiny. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs in September that each migrant returned to France had cost the UK taxpayer an average of about £56,000. The figure added to questions over whether the arrangement could be expanded sufficiently to have a major impact on Channel migration while remaining operationally practical and financially sustainable.
The pilot had initially been due to expire earlier but was extended until October 1 following discussions between the two governments. Britain had expressed an interest in continuing the arrangement, while France indicated that it wanted a wider European approach to migration rather than continuing to manage the issue through a bilateral agreement with the UK.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez argued that France should not be expected to carry responsibility for managing the external border of Europe on its own. He has called for a broader arrangement involving the European Union and the UK, reflecting concerns about migration routes that extend beyond the French coastline. France has also pointed to movement within the Schengen area and the role of other European countries in managing migration.
The end of the agreement therefore follows differences between London and Paris over how future cooperation should operate. Britain wanted to maintain the bilateral mechanism, while France pushed for a system involving the wider European Union. The disagreement meant that the existing pilot was not extended beyond its latest expiry point, although cooperation between the two countries on tackling small boat crossings is continuing.
The Home Office said the scheme was no longer processing new cases but confirmed that work with France to tackle small boat crossings would continue. Flights involving people already detained under the arrangement are also expected to continue for a period after the end of the pilot. This means the formal closure of the scheme does not immediately bring every return operation to an end.
The British government has also continued to develop other measures aimed at reducing illegal Channel crossings. Ministers have argued that enforcement should be combined with safe and legal routes for people who are entitled to seek protection. The government believes that providing lawful alternatives can reduce the incentive for migrants to rely on people smugglers and attempt dangerous journeys in overcrowded small boats.
The issue remains a major political challenge for the government, particularly as small boat arrivals continue despite changes in enforcement policy. More than 19,000 people had crossed the Channel in small boats between January and late September 2026, according to figures reported during the final stages of the pilot. Although that represented a substantial reduction compared with the same period in the previous year, crossings remained significant.
The route across the Channel continues to involve considerable risks for people attempting to reach Britain. Migrants often pay thousands of euros to criminal networks for places on overcrowded inflatable boats before attempting to cross one of the world's busiest shipping routes. The dangerous nature of the journey has remained central to government arguments for strengthening enforcement and creating alternative legal pathways.
The end of the agreement also comes as people smuggling networks continue to adapt to enforcement measures. Reports have indicated that boats have increasingly departed from different locations, including Belgium, as criminal groups look for alternative launch points. This has added another complication for authorities seeking to reduce crossings and prevent organised smuggling operations from moving activity between different parts of the European coastline.
The British government has argued that the fall in Channel crossings demonstrates progress, while acknowledging that the overall challenge remains substantial. Ministers have continued to emphasise cooperation with France and other European partners as an important part of their strategy. However, the conclusion of the one in one out pilot highlights the difficulty of maintaining a bilateral system when the two governments have different views about the scale and structure of future migration cooperation.
For France, the preference is for a broader European framework that shares responsibility for migration management between the UK and EU countries. French officials have argued that the pressures facing the country are connected to wider European migration patterns rather than being solely a bilateral issue with Britain. The proposed approach would therefore move beyond the limited exchange mechanism established by the pilot.
For the UK, the end of the scheme removes one of the specific mechanisms created after Brexit to return certain Channel migrants to France. Before Britain left the European Union, the two sides operated within a different framework for migration and asylum cooperation. The new bilateral agreement was developed after Brexit as governments sought alternative arrangements for managing people who crossed the Channel irregularly.
The pilot has therefore provided experience of direct UK France cooperation on returns, but its relatively limited scale has restricted its overall effect on the wider migration figures. More than 1,000 people were returned during the period covered by the latest Home Office figures, while many thousands more continued to arrive by small boat. The cost and operational difficulties associated with increasing returns also made expansion more challenging.
The government now faces the task of continuing efforts to reduce crossings without relying on the mechanism provided by the one in one out agreement. Further cooperation with France remains possible, while discussions about broader European arrangements could continue. The future approach is likely to involve a combination of enforcement, international cooperation, returns and legal migration routes.
The end of the pilot marks a significant change in the UK's approach to managing small boat arrivals from France. While the scheme did not eliminate the Channel crossings or return a large proportion of arrivals, it established a direct mechanism for exchanging certain migrants between the two countries. With no new cases being processed, attention will now turn towards how Britain and France manage the continuing migration challenge through other arrangements.
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