France, Britain in talks to end 'one in, one out' migrant deal


Police officers patrol on the beach in Petit-Fort-Philippe, Gravelines, near Calais, northern France, an area frequently used by migrants attempting to cross the English Channel to reach Britain, France, September 29, 2026. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

PARIS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - ⁠France and Britain are in talks to ⁠end their "one in, one out" migration deal, ‌a French interior ministry source said on Wednesday.

"We are discussing the terms of withdrawal from the agreement with ​the British," the source said.

Under ⁠the agreement, announced last ⁠year in a bid to reduce small-boat crossings ⁠of ‌the English Channel, Britain deported undocumented people arriving in small boats to ⁠France, in exchange for accepting an equal ​number of ‌legitimate asylum seekers with British family connections.

France's ⁠interior ministry ​had no immediate comment on why France was seeking to wind down the agreement. Britain's interior ⁠ministry did not respond to a ​request for comment.

Under the terms of the deal, there was a target timeframe of no more ⁠than three months from someone's arrival in Britain to transfer to France.

Britain had to return an individual within 14 days of their arrival, ​and France did not ⁠have to accept unaccompanied minors or people who ​pose a pre-existing security threat, ‌the treaty said.

(Reporting by Makini ​Brice in Paris; Writing by Mateusz Rabiega in Gdansk; Editing by Alison Williams)

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