According to a recent report, nearly 50 individuals who were deported under the UK-France 'one in one out' scheme have returned to the UK. The Guardian learned that out of the 48 individuals tracked, 47 were detained by the Home Office. At least one more is believed to have made the journey back unnoticed. The program, initiated in September, allows the UK to send asylum seekers who arrive via small boats to France. This happens provided France agrees to transfer a similar number of asylum seekers to the UK in return. The primary goal is to reduce the number of people attempting the perilous crossing of the English Channel.
The scheme is based on the assumption that France offers a safe environment for asylum seekers. But returnees have raised concerns about their safety in the country. Many claim they received threats from people smugglers. Others feared that French authorities might deport them to their home countries. They also feared being sent to other nations they passed through during their journey. One asylum seeker who made the return journey in a lorry spent five months in detention before being sent back to France. He described sleeping on the streets of Paris due to the fear of being repatriated to Bulgaria. This was a place where he had previously been fingerprinted.
UK-France scheme data and response
As of June 30, 2026, a total of 1,117 asylum seekers had been brought to the UK under the 'one in one out' arrangement. At the same time, 1,087 had been sent back to France. The Home Office has revised the agreement to ensure that anyone who attempts to return to the UK for a second time is again deported to France. Griff Ferris, a representative from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, argued that people fleeing war, persecution, and environmental crises often have no choice. They must take dangerous routes because safe travel options remain closed to them. He emphasized the need to offer the same safe passage available to others. These include the daily ferries that connect Calais and Dover.
Home Office and immigration figures
A Home Office spokesperson affirmed that individuals who return to the UK after being deported are wasting their time and money. They will be sent back once more. Under the UK-France payment by results returns agreement, over 1,000 illegal migrants have been removed from the UK. Since the last election, there have been hundreds of enforcement actions targeting migrant smuggling networks. These actions include arrests, investigations, and sanctions. Additionally, the Home Office reported that nearly 70,000 individuals deemed to be illegal migrants have been either returned to their countries of origin or removed from UK soil.
The UK government maintains that France is a secure and suitable alternative for asylum seekers, arguing that the arrangement should discourage people from crossing the Channel in small boats. However, returnees have described France's treatment of asylum seekers as unsafe and inhumane, with limited access to shelter and a high likelihood of being deported again. One individual noted that, despite the conditions in UK detention centers, he was better off there than on the streets of Paris, where the threat of being sent back to Bulgaria remained a constant worry. This highlights the complex and often perilous reality faced by those seeking refuge in Europe.