Political Explainers

Deportations Explained: Why Britain Removes So Few

We set out how many people are deported from the UK, why so few small boat migrants and foreign criminals are removed, and what each party would do.

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Should failed asylum seekers be deported within weeks?

Matt · 8 Nov 2026 · 12:30 · 6 min read · 276 reads

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By Matt, Editor

How many people are deported from the UK? In the year to June 2026 the Home Office recorded 9,669 enforced returns, the category that includes deportations. Another 30,936 people left voluntarily, many without telling anyone. Against more than 41,000 small boat arrivals in 2025 alone and over 20,000 foreign criminals still living in the community awaiting deportation, the numbers show a system that cannot remove people fast enough. This explainer sets out the figures, why removals are so hard and what each party would do.

Key facts

There were 40,605 returns from the UK in the year to June 2026: 9,669 enforced (24%) and 30,936 voluntary (76%) (source: Home Office).
5,962 foreign national offenders were returned, the most since 2017 (source: Home Office).
Before the pandemic, enforced returns fell to 7,361 in 2019, at the time the fewest since records began in 2004 (source: Home Office).
The UK–France “one in, one out” deal returned 1,087 people to France by the end of June 2026. It lapsed on 1 October 2026, according to reports (source: Home Office, BBC).
The immigration tribunal had about 156,000 open appeals at the end of June 2026, with asylum appeals taking 72 weeks on average to clear (source: Ministry of Justice).

How many people are deported from the UK?

Strictly, a “deportation” is a legal order made after a criminal conviction or on public good grounds. The Home Office does not publish deportations separately. It counts them within “enforced returns”, which also cover people removed for breaking immigration rules. Its latest figures break down as follows.

Type of return (year to June 2026)	Number	Change on previous year
Enforced returns	9,669	+7%
Voluntary returns	30,936	+9%
Total returns	40,605	+8%
Foreign national offender returns (all types)	5,962	+12%
Asylum-related returns	12,568	+14%
Small boat arrivals returned	3,310	+35%
Refused entry at port and departed (not in total)	18,646	−11%

Source: Home Office, Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2026.

Read the voluntary figure with care. According to the Home Office, 44% of voluntary returns are “other verified” cases: people found to have left only when officials matched records against passenger data. Indian nationals alone accounted for 10,226 voluntary returns, up 27%, and almost two-thirds of those left without telling the Home Office. That is not enforcement. It is the system finding out after the fact.

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Why do so few small boat migrants get removed?

Since 2018, more than 210,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, according to Home Office figures set out in our small boat crossings explainer. Only 9,694 small boat arrivals had been returned by June 2026, and earlier this year we reported that only about 6,000 had been removed since 2024. Many come from countries such as Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan, where returns are hard or impossible.

The UK–France deal was supposed to fix this. Between August 2025 and June 2026, 1,087 people were returned to France and 1,117 were transferred to Britain under its “one in, one out” terms. It lapsed on 1 October 2026 after France signalled it would not renew it, according to AFP. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the Home Affairs Committee the scheme cost about £56,000 per person, according to GB News, a figure we reported at the time.

A tall wire fence topped with razor wire surrounding low brick buildings under a grey sky — Detention capacity limits how many people can be held ahead of removal. Illustrative image generated for Breaking Brexit News.

Why is it so hard to deport foreign criminals?

Foreign offender returns are at their highest since 2017, but still below the 2016 peak of 6,437. Meanwhile, the Home Office’s own migration transparency data recorded 21,294 foreign national offenders living in the community while subject to enforcement action at the end of June 2026, up from 20,027 three months earlier (table FNO_08a). Many have been released from prison and are waiting for their cases to be resolved.

The main obstacles are legal. Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights bans return to a risk of torture or inhuman treatment, without exception. Article 8 protects family and private life and is regularly used to resist deportation. Our ECHR explainer sets out how the courts apply both. Other obstacles are practical: missing documents, countries that refuse to take their citizens back, and a shortage of detention places.

How long do appeals take?

Most refused asylum seekers and many offenders can appeal. Ministry of Justice tribunal statistics show the First-tier Tribunal’s immigration and asylum caseload rose 48% in a year to about 156,000 open cases at the end of June 2026. Asylum appeals took 72 weeks on average to clear, and 39% of asylum appeals decided that quarter were allowed. Every one of those weeks is a week the appellant cannot be removed.

An empty tribunal hearing room with a raised bench, stacks of case files and a Union flag by the window — Appeals can add more than a year to a case before removal is possible. Illustrative image generated for Breaking Brexit News.

What do supporters and critics say?

The case for the current approach

Ministers point out that enforced returns have risen every year since 2021 and foreign offender returns are the highest since 2017.
Labour secured returns cooperation from Angola and Namibia after threatening visa penalties, the Home Office announced in February 2026.
The Immigration and Asylum Bill would replace tribunal appeals with a new appeals body and narrow Article 8 claims by foreign offenders.

The case against

Enforced returns are still far below 2010 levels, when around 14,800 non-EU nationals alone were removed in a year, as the Home Office reported at the time.
Most “returns” are voluntary, and nearly half of those are people who left without telling anyone.
Labour has not left the ECHR, so the biggest legal barrier remains in place.

Why do deportations matter?

Removals are the test of whether immigration rules mean anything. If people who have no right to be here, including criminals, can stay for years through appeals and delays, the asylum system becomes a route to settlement, whatever Parliament intends. That is why Nigel Farage has pledged to declare a national emergency, suspend asylum claims and deport tens of thousands, and has said he would impose tariffs on countries that refuse returns.

What happens next?

The Immigration and Asylum Bill, which passed its Commons second reading on 13 July 2026, is going through Parliament. The UK–France deal has ended and no replacement has been agreed. Reform UK and the Conservatives both say they would leave the ECHR to make removals possible.

Frequently asked questions

How many people are deported from the UK each year?

The Home Office does not count deportations separately. There were 9,669 enforced returns, which include deportations, in the year to June 2026.

What is the difference between deportation and removal?

Deportation is ordered after a criminal conviction or on public good grounds. Administrative removal applies to people who break immigration rules. Both count as enforced returns.

How many foreign criminals were deported?

5,962 foreign national offenders were returned in the year to June 2026, including enforced, voluntary and port returns.

How many small boat migrants have been returned?

9,694 small boat arrivals had been returned between 2018 and June 2026, including 3,310 in the latest year.

Is the UK–France returns deal still running?

No. It returned 1,087 people to France by June 2026 and lapsed on 1 October 2026.

What would Reform UK do?

Nigel Farage has pledged to declare a national emergency, suspend asylum claims, leave the ECHR and deport tens of thousands of people.

Deportations Explained: Why Britain Removes So Few