The United Kingdom will impose visa restrictions on individuals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after the country failed to cooperate on the return of its citizens who are in the UK illegally.
The UK Home Office announced that the DRC has not complied with new, tougher asylum rules, and as a result, fast-track visa processes and preferential treatment for politicians and VIPs from the country will be suspended.
In contrast, Angola and Namibia, which had also been threatened with similar penalties, have now agreed to improve their processes for taking back their nationals.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that she would not hesitate to apply visa bans to other non-compliant countries, adding, “Now is the time for the Democratic Republic of Congo to do the right thing. Take your citizens back or lose the privilege of entering our country.”
