Kenyans have been put on high alert after the United Kingdom threatened to suspend visas for countries which fail to cooperate in taking back their nationals who are denied the right to remain in the UK.
The UK's newly appointed Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood confirmed the developments during a meeting of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance in London, which includes officials from the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Mahmood emphasised that her top priority was securing the UK's borders, particularly in light of the recent hike in illegal migration through small boat crossings.
During her first full day in office, over 1000 people reportedly crossed the channel - a figure which she described as "utterly unacceptable".
"We think there is interesting space for collaborating, particularly on how we deal with countries who do not take their citizens back – so making sure we are able to return out of our countries people who have no right to be in our countries and send them back to their home countries," she said.
Her remarks signal a shift toward tougher immigration enforcement, particularly targeting countries that are seen as not fulfilling their responsibilities when it comes to deportations.
In 2025 alone, more than 30,000 people have arrived in the UK via small boats, which is a 37 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
While Mahmood did not name specific countries, the warning raised concerns in nations with significant migration links to the UK. Kenya, which enjoys a well-established diaspora in the UK, could be affected if relations around immigration cooperation are strained.
Recent data revealed they are over 180,000 Kenyans living in the UK, many of whom are students, skilled professionals or long-term residents with family ties.
Mahmood said coordinated action among Five Eyes allies could be used to apply more pressure on uncooperative countries and this could mean the possibility of cutting visas in the future as a way of enforcing compliance.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously expressed his support for a transactional approach to visas, suggesting that future access to UK immigration pathways could depend on how helpful a country is in facilitating returns of undocumented migrants.
Notably, Kenya was recently included in another key area of the UK’s immigration overhaul - the “Deport First, Appeal Later” policy. Under this new rule, foreign nationals convicted of crimes in the UK can now be deported immediately after sentencing, with appeals handled via video link from their home country.
This means that while Kenya is not currently facing visa restrictions, it is part of the UK’s more aggressive enforcement framework, especially when it comes to foreign offenders.
Any delays in processing return requests or disagreements over the identity or status of deportees could place Kenya on a list of countries subject to tougher immigration measures.
