UK Eyes Kosovo for Migrant Return Hubs Amid Rising Small Boat Crossings

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UK Eyes Kosovo for Migrant Return Hubs Amid Rising Small Boat Crossings

 

The United Kingdom is preparing to approach Kosovo about hosting one of its planned "return hubs" for failed asylum seekers, as part of a broader strategy to manage the growing number of migrants arriving via small boats. Kosovo, a small Balkan nation with a population of approximately 1.6 million, is among nine countries under consideration for this controversial scheme, The Times has revealed.

 

The plan would see the UK send migrants who have exhausted all appeals for asylum to overseas hubs in partner countries. According to senior officials, the aim is to establish legal and logistical channels for removing individuals who no longer have the right to remain in the UK. Though formal negotiations have not yet begun, ministers hope to make significant progress before the UK hosts a summit of Western Balkan leaders in London this autumn, where illegal migration is expected to dominate discussions.

 

Kosovo’s president, Vjosa Osmani, has indicated a willingness to consider such a proposal. “There’s been no formal talks with the UK on this issue. It hasn’t been raised so far,” she said. “We would be open to discussing it, however I can’t say more than that because I don’t know the details. I cannot give an answer on a request that hasn’t been made so far.”

 

Kosovo joins a shortlist that includes Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and several nations outside Europe. The UK had previously hoped Albania would serve as a host for one of its return hubs, but Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama ruled it out last week. Officials consider Kosovo a “plausible” alternative due to its location along a major migration route into the European Union. The Foreign Office reports that nearly 22,000 illegal migrants used the Western Balkans corridor to enter the EU last year.

 

One core element of the UK’s return hub strategy is to establish that migrants passed through safe third countries where they could have claimed asylum. Such a precedent would bolster legal arguments for deportation and reduce the burden on the UK’s asylum system. Frontex, the EU’s border agency, reports more than 3,000 migrants used the Balkans route in the first four months of this year, with Afghans, Turks, and Syrians making up the majority of arrivals.

 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under increasing political pressure as small boat crossings continue to rise. So far this year, 13,573 migrants have arrived via the Channel, a 37 percent increase compared to the same period last year. With domestic solutions under strain, the UK is looking abroad for answers.

 

Other European nations are also exploring similar offshore models, including Italy, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The Netherlands is currently in talks with Uganda about establishing its own return hub. In March, the European Union endorsed the concept of such hubs, and the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, also signaled support, a move described by UK government insiders as “game changing.”

 

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper recently discussed the possibility of paying Balkan countries to accept deported asylum seekers with Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees. Any agreement with Kosovo would likely involve significant financial contributions from the UK. In 2021, Kosovo agreed to a €200 million deal with Denmark to house 300 of its foreign prisoners, although the project has yet to be implemented.

 

Last month, Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Kosovo and signed a deal to provide UK technology aimed at curbing the use of the country by criminal gangs smuggling people and goods destined for the UK. As pressure mounts and migration continues to test Britain’s immigration system, the government is pushing ahead with its vision for return hubs abroad. As Starmer stated during a recent visit to Albania, “I see them as a really important innovation.”

 

Related Topics:

Albania Snubs Starmer after Rejecting UK Migrant Return Hubs

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Times  2025-05-27

 

 

[The Cyclist]

It will get the same response as Albania

 

 

Off you go dafty, keep your Illegal Gimmegrants, we don't want them.

[proton]

Rwanda was already to go and they scraped it 😂

[nauseus]

More waffle.

[888huahin]

I am disappointed at the lack of imagination and geographical knowledge of UK Politicians, why should we deport Boat People to another state when we could easily send them to Unst (the most northerly of the Shetland Islands) were they could be duly and legally processed within the UK.

 

Unst is a forbolding place with no trees, cold and dark in winter but benefits from an Air Strip, if you are a genuine asylum seeker you would love Unst, if you are a financial migrant then you would hate it.

 

Unst needs more infrastructure to benefit it's local population Hospitals and public housing could benefit Unst in the long term, instead of of squandering money on Hotels and the £500,000 per year to the French Navy,

 

Yes let the Boat People Come and fly them all straight to Unst 

[giddyup]

50 minutes ago, 888huahin said:

I am disappointed at the lack of imagination and geographical knowledge of UK Politicians, why should we deport Boat People to another state when we could easily send them to Unst (the most northerly of the Shetland Islands) were they could be duly and legally processed within the UK.

 

Unst is a forbolding place with no trees, cold and dark in winter but benefits from an Air Strip, if you are a genuine asylum seeker you would love Unst, if you are a financial migrant then you would hate it.

 

Unst needs more infrastructure to benefit it's local population Hospitals and public housing could benefit Unst in the long term, instead of of squandering money on Hotels and the £500,000 per year to the French Navy,

 

Yes let the Boat People Come and fly them all straight to Unst 

Aussie sent them to Nauru or PNG, reduced numbers significantly.

[James105]

Utter embarrassment to the UK.   The incompetent fool is getting desperate now and turning to countries even more corrupt than Rwanda to help him out of the hole he has dug for himself.