British Minister for Countering Illegal Migration Michael Tomlinson has said Bangladesh is a valued partner and it is fantastic that their ties with Bangladesh are being bolstered to promote regular migration and a range of other issues.  

"Global issues require global solutions and I look forward to working with Bangladesh and other partners to create a fairer system for all," he said. 

The British government has signed a new agreement with Bangladesh to speed up the removal of migrants with no right to be in the country.

"We have already seen clear evidence that these agreements have a significant impact on illegal migration," said the British Minister. 

Speeding up removals is a vital part of our plan to stop people from coming or staying here illegally, he said. 

Bangladesh, UK discuss ways to strengthen health sector cooperation

At the first Joint Working Group on Home Affairs in London, both countries committed to strengthening their partnership and intensifying cooperation on economic, cultural and social issues.  

The agreement will streamline the returns process by removing a mandatory interview for cases where there is good supporting evidence for removal.

Failed asylum seekers, foreign national offenders and individuals who have overstayed their visas will all be returned sooner as a result.

Bangladesh and the United Kingdom have held their first ever Joint Working Group meeting on Home Affairs at the British Home Office in London and signed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Returns recently.

The British Minister and Bangladesh High Commissioner in the UK Saida Muna Tasneem opened the JWG meeting on Thursday and witnessed the signing of the SOPs between the two countries.

The Joint Working Group committed to continue to facilitate legal migration through existing visa routes; tackle illegal migration with enhanced cooperation on visa abuse; strengthen data sharing and build capacity; develop each other’s understanding of respective approaches to tackling serious organised crime.

The working group builds on the recent meeting between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the UK’s Minister for the Indo Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan in Dhaka, according to the UK government. 

Prime Minister Hasina emphasised that Bangladesh has a zero tolerance approach to illegal migration, whilst Minister Trevelyan thanked Prime Minister Hasina for her support in agreeing the new returns agreement.

Reaffirming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s zero tolerance stance against irregular migration, High Commissioner Muna said Bangladesh High Commission in London in collaboration with UK Home Office has been returning certain numbers of undocumented Bangladeshis for more than a decade.

That is why the number of undocumented Bangladeshis in the UK is minimal at this moment, and the Bangladesh Home Office would work closely with the British Home Office with support from the High Commission, said the envoy.

The good news is that Bangladesh is not even within the top ten countries in terms of numbers of undocumented nationals, and yet they needed to formalize this MoU with the post-Brexit UK, she said.

Last year 26,000 people who had no right to be in the UK were returned to their home countries, 74% more than in 2022. 

A deal signed with the government of Albania to expedite returns reduced the number of small boat arrivals from Albania by over 90%. 

A nationwide increase in Home Office activity to tackle illegal migration saw enforcement visits rise by 68% last year and arrests more than double. 

Detentions have commenced ahead of the first flights to Rwanda in 8 to 10 weeks. 

The government’s Rwanda plan will deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous journeys across the Channel and ensure those who come to the UK illegally cannot stay.