The Home Secretary has threatened Pakistan with a UK visa ban as figures show just four per cent of failed Pakistani asylum seekers were returned last year.
There were 10,638 asylum claims from Pakistanis last year, double their rate of 2023, and more than other nations such as Eritrea (8,948), Iran (7,419) and Afghanistan (6,462).
As one of the most likely groups to have lodged claims for protection in the UK, many entered the country with temporary visitor, work or student visas, then switching to claim asylum in an attempt to secure permanent residency in the UK.
Pakistani asylum seekers account for one in 10 of all those in the UK, more than any other nation, with just one in 25 (4.1 per cent) returned last year, according to the Home Office.
Other nations such as Namibia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola have all agreed to take back illegal migrants and foreign criminals after being threatened with visa bans by Shabana Mahmood, who now puts the same threat to Pakistan.
A Home Office spokesman said: “While the UK and Pakistan are working in partnership on shared migration and returns priorities, our message is clear - co-operate on returns or face consequences".
The threat of a visa ban comes with a weight of consequences, from the removal of fast-track visa services, to bans on entry documents for everyone from tourists to politicians.
Chris Philp, Shadow Home Secretary, voiced concern for the climate surrounding Pakistani migrants, dubbing the return figures "pathetic".
He said: “We must drastically reduce the number of visas granted to Pakistani nationals and exit the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) so that people with no right to be here can be deported".
Pakistan has also refused to take back two high-profile grooming-gang leaders: Adil Khan, 55, and Qari Abdul Rauf, 56 - jailed in 2012 for sexually assaulting 47 girls, some as young as 12.
Both renounced their Pakistani citizenship in an attempt to prevent their removal.
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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has vowed to crack down on illegal migration | PAZia Yusuf, Reform UK home affairs spokesman, said that as part of his party’s deportation strategy, “we will not hesitate to impose visa bans on countries that refuse to take back their illegals”.
Last week, Mr Yusuf announced that a Reform government would halt visas for Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan.
He said: "Make no mistake, more countries will be added to that list. Reform UK will secure our borders and do what it takes to ensure illegal migrants are deported."
The number of migrants claiming asylum after arriving on legitimate visas is, at more than 40,000, on par with the number seeking refugee status after crossing the Channel on small boats.
With small boat crossings predicted to increase in scale as the weather improves, the migrant crisis is expected to only grow further in the coming weeks.