UK warns DRC over new visa policy

The UK has imposed visa restrictions on the Democratic Republic of Congo, accusing its government of failing to co-operate with its new policy on the return of undocumented migrants and those who commit criminal offences, reports Al Jazeera. The UK Home Office also said that Angola and Namibia have agreed to step up efforts to take back their citizens. The agreements mark the first major change under sweeping reforms unveiled by Secretary of State for the Home Department Shabana Mahmood last month to make refugee status temporary and speed up the deportation of those who arrive without documents in the UK. There was no immediate comment from the DRC, Angola or Namibia. The Home Office said the DRC failed to meet the UK’s requirements for co-operation and has now been stripped of fast-track visa services and preferential treatment for VIPs and decision-makers. Mahmood said the UK could escalate measures to a complete halt of visas for the DRC unless co-operation rapidly improves. 'We expect countries to play by the rules. If one of their citizens has no right to be here, they must take them back,' she said. 'I thank Angola and Namibia and welcome their co-operation. Now is the time for the Democratic Republic of Congo to do the right thing. Take your citizens back or lose the privilege of entering our country.'

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s centre-left government recently unveiled sweeping changes to the UK’s asylum system. Mahmood told lawmakers that the reforms, modelled on Denmark’s strict asylum system, would discourage refugees and asylum seekers from crossing the English Channel from France on small boats. Under the reforms, refugee status will become temporary and will be reviewed every 30 months. Refugees will be forced to return to their home countries once those are deemed safe. They will also need to wait for 20 years, instead of the current five, before they can apply for permanent residency, according to Al Jazeera. The government has also said it will legislate to make it harder for irregular migrants and foreign criminals to use the European Convention on Human Rights to stop deportation. The policy has been facing criticism, however, with Mark Davies, a former adviser to the Foreign Office, calling it ‘shameful’ and a departure from ‘Britain’s historic commitment to support refugees’. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also described the policy as 'draconian’, adding that it tries to ‘appease the most ghastly, racist right-wing forces all across Europe’, while undermining the UN Convention on Human Rights.