More than 6,500 Bangladeshis applied for asylum in the United Kingdom in the 12 months leading up to June this year. Meanwhile, the UK Home Office has recently warned that several countries may face visa restrictions if they fail to cooperate in taking back “illegal migrants and criminals.”
The UK Home Office recently named several African countries, saying visa bans may be imposed if they refuse to repatriate their “illegal and criminal” nationals. Reports also suggest that other countries may face similar strict measures in the next phase.
According to AFP, countries with high numbers of asylum seekers may also face tougher visa requirements for legal travel in the future.
Regular Routes to the UK: Who Leads?
Home Office data shows that in the 12 months leading up to June 2025, a total of 834,977 visas were issued for employment, study, family reunification, and humanitarian reasons.
Indian nationals received the highest number of visas—165,970, accounting for nearly 20% of all visas issued.
They were followed by:
China: 114,178 visas (13.7%)
Pakistan: 69,580 visas (8.3%)
Nigeria: 45,966 visas (5.5%)
United States: 30,898 visas (3.7%)
In contrast, countries warned of visa restrictions had much lower visa issuance:
Democratic Republic of Congo: 299
Angola: 272
Namibia: 140
Overall visa issuance dropped by 32% compared to the previous year.
Irregular Arrivals: Who Tops the List?
Countries with fewer legal visas to the UK saw higher numbers arriving irregularly. In the 12 months up to June, half of all irregular arrivals came from five countries: Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan, and Syria.
These countries accounted for:
55% of all irregular arrivals,
but only 3% of all legal visas.
Among the 48,478 irregular arrivals (with known nationalities):
42,446 crossed the English Channel
6,589 were Afghans
6,267 Eritreans
5,367 Iranians
4,318 Sudanese
4,216 Syrians
Only 11 people came from DR Congo, 3 from Angola, and none from Namibia.
Asylum Applications: Bangladesh in the Top Five
In the 12 months up to June 2025, 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK—the highest since 2001.
Top countries for asylum applications:
Pakistan: 11,234 (10%)
Afghanistan: 8,281 (7.5%)
Iran: 7,746 (7%)
Eritrea: 7,433 (6.7%)
Bangladesh: 6,649 (6%) ← 5th place
During the same period:
DR Congo: 134 applications
Namibia: 104
Angola: 27
A total of 90,812 applicants were still awaiting an initial decision.
Bangladesh ranked third among those awaiting decisions, with 6,838 pending applications (7.5%).
Foreign Nationals in UK Prisons
As of September, 10,737 foreign nationals were imprisoned in England and Wales.
Top nationalities:
Albania: 1,086
Poland: 776
Ireland: 677
Romania: 675
India: 364
From the countries warned by the UK:
DR Congo: 56 inmates
Angola: 39
Namibia: 9
What the UK Government Says
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced stricter measures against irregular migration and tougher asylum processing. She has also proposed temporary refugee protection that can be withdrawn once conditions in an applicant’s home country improve.
The government has issued warnings of potential visa bans against Angola, Namibia, and DR Congo for failing to cooperate in returning “illegal migrants and offenders.”
Minister Alex Norris told Sky News that these countries have “one month to fix the issue.”
The UK is also considering emergency restrictions against any country with high asylum rates and low cooperation in repatriation.
