Overview
- The pilot launched on August 5 repatriates roughly 50 migrants per week who crossed the Channel in small boats.
- For each repatriation, the UK grants legal entry to one person with an existing British connection via a designated safe route.
- Returned migrants will be deported by France under the Dublin Regulation to their first country of EU entry.
- Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said total return figures will be withheld to avoid tipping off criminal smuggling networks.
- Channel crossings surged nearly 56% to about 21,100 in the first half of 2025, prompting intensified bilateral measures.