Labour’s Shabana Mahmood threatens Pakistan with visa ban | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Pakistan may face sweeping visa restrictions from Britain after new figures laid naked how few rejected asylum seekers are being despatched house.

Official information reveals that regardless of 1000’s of refusals, simply 4.1 per cent of failed Pakistani candidates had been returned final 12 months — the equal of 1 in 25.

The scale of the problem is critical. Pakistani nationals now characterize the only largest group claiming asylum within the UK, accounting for roughly one in 10 functions general, reviews present.

In 2024, 10,638 Pakistanis sought asylum — double the earlier 12 months’s whole and forward of nations together with Eritrea (8,948), Iran (7,419) and Afghanistan (6,462).

A placing function of the development is what number of initially arrived by authentic routes. Large numbers entered Britain on pupil, work or customer visas earlier than later making use of for asylum — a transfer that may pave the way in which in direction of everlasting residency if profitable.

Yet greater than 70 per cent of Pakistani claims are rejected.

Home Office figures point out that whereas 10,853 functions had been refused in 2025, solely 445 people had been eliminated to Pakistan in the identical interval, states the Telegraph.

The return charge mirrors that of Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola — international locations that had been beforehand warned they’d face visa bans until they agreed to simply accept deportees. All finally reversed course after being threatened with sanctions.

Under powers overseen by Shabana Mahmood, ministers can apply a graduated system of penalties to uncooperative states. These vary from scrapping precedence visa providers to imposing outright entry bans affecting vacationers, staff and even political elites, states the report.

A Government supply mentioned: “We will not hesitate to apply visa sanctions to any country that isn’t co-operating.”

Opposition events have seized on the figures.

Chris Philp, the shadow house secretary, described the removing charge as “pathetic”, stating {that a} 2022 returns deal was agreed with Islamabad when Priti Patel was house secretary.

He argued harder steps had been wanted, saying: “We must drastically reduce the number of visas granted to Pakistani nationals and exit the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) so that people with no right to be here can be deported.”

Meanwhile Reform UK has gone additional. Its house affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf mentioned visa bans would kind a part of a broader deportation technique.

“As part of our deportation strategy, we will not hesitate to impose visa bans on countries that refuse to take back their illegals,” he mentioned.

Last week he named Pakistan amongst a listing of nations — alongside Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan — that will see visas suspended underneath a Reform authorities, citing overstaying charges and small boat arrivals.

“Make no mistake, more countries will be added to that list. Reform UK will secure our borders and do what it takes to ensure illegal migrants are deported,” he added.

Separate information reveals that greater than 40,000 individuals claimed asylum after first coming into the UK on legitimate visas final 12 months — a determine roughly equal to the quantity arriving through small boats throughout the Channel.

Pakistan options prominently throughout each main visa class the place migrants later switched to asylum, showing within the prime three for pupil, work, customer and different routes. In whole, 9,783 Pakistani nationals used this pathway in 2024 — making up almost 1 / 4 of all visa-to-asylum switches.

A Home Office spokesman is reported to have mentioned: “While the UK and Pakistan are working in partnership on shared migration and returns priorities, our message is clear – co-operate on returns or face consequences.”