Diplomatic tensions flared as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood warned she will “block all UK visas for Eritrean nationals” unless Asmara cooperates with deportations of citizens who have no right to remain in Britain. Eritrea’s embassy in London told The New Arab it “will not engage under threat or duress” but remains open to constructive dialogue. Eritreans were the single largest nationality arriving by small boat between June 2025 and June 2026, fuelling political pressure on the government to show it can remove failed asylum-seekers. Current return numbers are negligible because Eritrea rarely issues travel documents, citing concerns about forced repatriations. Under the proposed measures the UK would suspend standard, visit and student visas for Eritrean nationals, cancel any in-country applications in progress and limit Eritrean diplomats to a 37-mile travel radius outside London. Similar sanctions were levelled at Angola and Namibia in 2025 and led to a 64 % increase in voluntary returns within six months. For global organisations employing Eritrean staff on Tier 5 and Skilled Worker visas, the threat raises questions about future renewals and family-visit applications. HR teams should conduct a headcount of affected employees, brief them on potential travel complications and, where possible, accelerate in-country extensions before any freeze takes effect.
Source: The New Arab
