In brief
The UK government has ended the ‘one‑in, one‑out’ pilot that sent returnees to France in exchange for French nationals entering the UK. Only 1,500 people were swapped in more than a year, far below expectations. Flights to remove illegal small‑boat migrants will continue, but the annual swap stopped after the Home Office deemed it unsustainable. Channel crossings fell 42% from the previous year, and officials say the UK will keep working with France on broader small‑boat‑crossing solutions.
UK scrambles ‘one‑in, one‑out’ migrant scheme
The UK government announced it will no longer process new cases of the ‘one‑in, one‑out’ scheme that swapped some small‑boat arrivals for French nationals who hoped to join the UK.
Only about 1,500 people were returned to France since the pilot launched a little over a year ago, a figure the Home Office said fell far short of the desired scale.
A spokesperson said flights will keep running to quickly remove illegal small‑boat migrants, but the annual “swap” will stop. Families waiting for asylum, many of whom crossed the channel on crowded dinghies, face an uncertain future.
The Home Secretary admitted the scheme was difficult to scale and that some migrants were deterred by the risk of being denied entry because of the ‘swap’.
Channel crossings by small boats have dropped 42% from 32,188 in the same period 2025 to 19,135 this year. The UK will continue working with France on broader small‑boat‑crossing solutions.
