UK imposes visa curbs on African nation

DR Congo has failed to co-operate on repatriating undocumented migrants and foreign criminals, London has said

The UK has introduced new visa restrictions targeting citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), claiming that authorities in Kinshasa have failed to co-operate on repatriating illegal immigrants.

On Saturday, the UK’s Home Secretary announced that, under the new measures, senior officials and influential figures from the Central African country will no longer benefit from preferential visa arrangements, while fast-track visa processing has been withdrawn for all Congolese applicants.

The move follows warnings issued in November by UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who cautioned DR Congo, Angola, and Namibia that visa sanctions would be imposed unless they improved co-operation in repatriating about 4,000 undocumented migrants. According to the ministry, the three African countries have repeatedly hindered Britain’s attempts to deport thousands of undocumented migrants and individuals with criminal records.

“The days of Britain being a soft touch for illegal migrants and foreign criminals are over,” Shabana Mahmood said on X.

Read more

However, the ministry noted that Angola and Namibia have since pledged to improve their procedures and accept the return of illegal migrants and criminals. As a result, both countries have avoided the new visa restrictions.

“Further, countries that refuse the return of their citizens will lose the privilege of entering the UK,” the Home Office noted.

Mahmoud stressed that these actions marked “just the start” of the measures London was implementing to secure the border. She added that governments were expected to comply with established rules, emphasizing that “countries must play by the rules” and that if a person had no right to stay, their home country “must take them back.”

In October, the UK imposed visa requirements on Botswana nationals over concerns about rising illegal migration, ending years of visa-free travel.

READ MORE: UK revokes visa-free entry for African state

The UK Home Office reported a record 111,084 asylum applications between June 2024 and June 2025, marking a 14% increase year-on-year. The figure also exceeds the previous peak of 103,081 claims recorded in 2002.