Sierra Leone is among 24 countries identified as having formal or informal migrant return agreements with the United Kingdom, according to a briefing by the UK House of Commons Library, as immigration enforcement becomes the focus of renewed political debate in Britain.
The list, published in December 2024, includes Sierra Leone alongside Nigeria, Guinea, Angola, Algeria, China, India, Pakistan, Somalia, South Korea and several other countries.
The agreements provide arrangements for the return of individuals who have no legal right to remain in the UK, although their terms and implementation vary between countries.
Sierra Leone’s arrangement with the UK dates back to 2012 and takes the form of an unpublished memorandum of understanding, according to the parliamentary briefing.
The issue has resurfaced amid growing scrutiny of the British government’s immigration policies, following a recent interview on LBC radio involving Border Security and Asylum Minister Anna Turley.
During the interview with presenter Nick Ferrari, Turley defended the government’s immigration record, citing an 80 per cent reduction in immigration, a 40 per cent decline in small boat crossings and a 50 per cent increase in removals.
However, the discussion became contentious when Ferrari questioned where individuals removed from the UK were being sent.
The exchange also focused on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s immigration policies, with Turley describing her as one of the toughest people she had ever met.
The House of Commons Library has cautioned that the existence of a returns agreement does not necessarily mean every removal is straightforward. Some arrangements are formal treaties, while others are unpublished memorandums of understanding or operational agreements.
A separate assessment by the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory in March 2026 identified 19 countries with valid return agreements with the UK, illustrating that the status and operation of such arrangements can change over time.
Meanwhile, the UK Home Office’s September 2026 travel documentation guidance lists Sierra Leone as accepting enforced and voluntary returns.
The arrangements place Sierra Leone among countries cooperating with British authorities on the return of individuals who do not have legal permission to remain in the United Kingdom.
