Deal aims to speed up deportations as UK sees sharp rise in Vietnamese small-boat arrivals

Vietnamese nationals who enter the UK by irregular means will be fast-tracked for deportation under a new agreement signed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Vietnam’s General Secretary To Lam, Downing Street has announced.

The deal, signed at No 10 on Wednesday evening during To Lam’s visit to London, is intended to make it quicker and easier to return Vietnamese citizens with no legal right to remain in the UK.

It follows a sharp rise in clandestine arrivals from Vietnam in the past two years, including through small boats across the Channel and hidden lorry crossings. Vietnamese nationals were the largest single nationality of small-boat arrivals in early 2024, accounting for 20% of all crossings in the first quarter — a tenfold increase on the same period a year earlier.

Officials said the new bilateral framework will cut the time needed to process return cases by as much as 75% initially, and up to 90% once the system is fully operational. The measures include biometric data sharing, faster documentation procedures, and closer law enforcement cooperation to dismantle criminal smuggling and trafficking networks.

Downing Street described it as “the strongest migration deal” Vietnam has ever signed with another country, predicting it would allow the UK to remove up to four times as many people with no lawful right to stay.

Speaking during the signing ceremony in No 10’s White Room, Starmer said:

“I’m really pleased we’re able to sign our migration agreement, which will build on the good cooperation that we have between our two countries now. It will make returns faster, more effective and have a real impact on very many lives.”

The prime minister said the deal sent a clear signal to those attempting to reach the UK illegally.

“This landmark agreement with Vietnam sends a clear message: if you come to the UK illegally, you will be swiftly returned,” Starmer said.
“We are cutting through red tape, accelerating removals and dismantling the criminal networks that profit from illegal migration. This delivers on our promise to protect our borders and cut down on migration.”

The government said the number of illegal arrivals from Vietnam had already halved this year but that “more can be done”. Starmer added that the agreement showed “through international cooperation – not shouting from the sidelines – we can deliver for the UK and for working people”.

To Lam, who is also Vietnam’s president and a key figure in the ruling Communist Party, invited Starmer to visit Hanoi, saying through an interpreter that the deal would “enrich the bilateral relationship” between the two countries.

The Home Office said that in the first year of the new government, 35,000 individuals with no right to remain had been removed from the UK, including 5,200 foreign national offenders – a 14% increase on the previous year.

The agreement comes amid growing scrutiny of the UK’s approach to migration returns and Vietnam’s human rights record. Human Rights Watch has identified more than 170 political prisoners in Vietnam, including journalists, activists and online commentators detained for expressing dissent.

Separately, the BBC said one of its Vietnamese journalists had been unable to leave the country for several months after travelling to visit family and renew their passport, raising concerns about restrictions on media freedom.

The Home Office said all deportations would continue to comply with international law, including obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

“This agreement ensures that those with no legal right to remain in the UK can be returned quickly and safely, while maintaining our commitment to protecting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.”

According to Home Office data, 599 Vietnamese nationals were referred to the UK’s National Referral Mechanism for potential modern slavery victims between April and June 2025 – the second-highest figure for any foreign nationality after Eritreans.

Officials insisted those identified as trafficking victims would continue to receive appropriate protection and support under existing safeguards.