The Home Office confirmed on 23 October 2025 that a further £100 million will be channelled into its flagship ‘one-in, one-out’ returns deal with France. The agreement—finalised in August—allows Britain to return to France migrants who reach the UK by small boat, in exchange for taking an equivalent number of asylum-seekers already in France who have family or other recognised ties to the UK.
According to officials, the extra funding will finance up to 300 additional National Crime Agency officers, overtime for Immigration Enforcement teams and new surveillance technology, including fixed-wing drones and automatic vessel-detection buoys deployed along the Channel coast. Resources will also be used to expand intelligence work in transit countries stretching from north Africa to central Asia, with the aim of disrupting smuggling supply-chains before migrants reach the French coast.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the money “drives forward our plan for change—restoring order to the asylum system and protecting the UK’s border.” The opposition Conservative Party criticised the plan for “outsourcing the border to France,” while refugee charities argued that faster, safer humanitarian routes—not deterrence measures—are needed.
For employers the announcement signals the government’s continuing focus on border security ahead of labour-market liberalisation measures promised elsewhere in the immigration white paper. Companies relocating staff should anticipate intensified carrier-liability checks, more frequent right-to-work audits and possible delays for French cross-Channel freight during intensified inspections. Multinationals should brief assignees on the higher profile of immigration enforcement at ports of entry and plan extra time for travel between the UK and continental Europe over the next six months.
According to officials, the extra funding will finance up to 300 additional National Crime Agency officers, overtime for Immigration Enforcement teams and new surveillance technology, including fixed-wing drones and automatic vessel-detection buoys deployed along the Channel coast. Resources will also be used to expand intelligence work in transit countries stretching from north Africa to central Asia, with the aim of disrupting smuggling supply-chains before migrants reach the French coast.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the money “drives forward our plan for change—restoring order to the asylum system and protecting the UK’s border.” The opposition Conservative Party criticised the plan for “outsourcing the border to France,” while refugee charities argued that faster, safer humanitarian routes—not deterrence measures—are needed.
For employers the announcement signals the government’s continuing focus on border security ahead of labour-market liberalisation measures promised elsewhere in the immigration white paper. Companies relocating staff should anticipate intensified carrier-liability checks, more frequent right-to-work audits and possible delays for French cross-Channel freight during intensified inspections. Multinationals should brief assignees on the higher profile of immigration enforcement at ports of entry and plan extra time for travel between the UK and continental Europe over the next six months.
