UK–France Channel migration pilot will not be renewed

The French ministry has confirmed that France and the UK are negotiating the terms for ending their migration agreement. Under the 2025 arrangement, Britain returns people who crossed the Channel by boat to France and, in exchange, admits asylum seekers with family in the UK. [1]

The UK reportedly wants to extend the agreement, while France does not. Nieuws.nl also cites The Guardian as reporting that British government sources expect the deal to expire on Thursday, 1 October. The Guardian puts the number of people sent to France under the arrangement at more than 1,400, with the same number of asylum seekers flown to the UK. [1]

The negotiations are still under way. The two governments have not announced an outcome or said whether the agreement will be extended. [1]

Update

The UK has stopped processing new cases under its ‘one in, one out’ migration pilot with France. The arrangement allowed the UK to return some people arriving by small boat while admitting an equal number from France who were thought to have a legitimate claim to enter Britain. The Home Office said removal flights would continue over the coming weeks. [2]

France’s Interior Ministry told the BBC that the two countries were discussing the terms of exit from the agreement. The timetable for that exit and the number of further removals have not been specified. [2]

Update

The UK–France pilot for returning some people who crossed the Channel to England will not be renewed, ANP/AFP reports. The UK Home Office said the trial expires on Thursday, according to the agency. [3]

Under the agreement, France took back some people who arrived in England irregularly by boat. Britain agreed to admit an equal number of asylum seekers travelling legally from France. Official British figures cited by ANP/AFP put returns to France at nearly 1,100 and arrivals in Britain at 1,117 between August 2025 and June 2026.