UK lawmakers voice concern over 97% drop in Sri Lankan deportations

By Sunil Jayasiri

The United Kingdom’s House of Lords has raised concerns over a sharp drop in the number of foreign nationals deported from the UK, with Sri Lanka listed among the countries showing a steep decline in returns.  
During a debate on the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, Lord Davies of Gower, Shadow Minister for the Home Office, referred to data from the UK’s Migration Observatory, highlighting that return of individuals from Sri Lanka had fallen by 97% over the past decade, alongside similar declines from Bangladesh and Pakistan.  
Lord Davies was speaking in support of Amendment 71, which seeks to make it mandatory, rather than optional, for the UK Home Secretary to impose visa penalties on countries that refuse or delay cooperation in verifying the identity or accepting the return of their nationals.  
“When a country refuses or delays verification of identity or status, removal becomes virtually impossible,” Lord Davies told the House. He stressed that the proposed amendment would ensure that the Secretary of State is required to act in such cases, rather than merely having the discretion to do so.  
Lord Davies argued that transparency is essential to maintaining public confidence in the immigration system, and urged the government to publish data on foreign students whose visas have been revoked or who have been deported following criminal convictions.