Overview

• Under the pilot, roughly 50 migrants who cross irregularly each week will be returned to France in exchange for an equal number of legally eligible entrants to the UK.
• The agreement marks the first bilateral swap since Brexit severed UK-EU return mechanisms and is designed to address the legal void that fueled Channel crossings.
• Officials now await EU judicial clearance before the late-July launch, with detailed protocols on identity checks and returns still under negotiation.
• President Macron and Prime Minister Starmer say the model will undermine smuggling networks by removing incentives for dangerous small-boat journeys.
• France has proposed empowering authorities to intercept migrant boats up to 300 meters offshore to prevent departures.