About 4% of migrants arriving in Dover on small boats are being sent back under the government's "one in, one out" agreement with France, Home Office figures have shown.

The latest figures have come exactly a year since the scheme with France began.

The deal allows the UK to send some small-boat arrivals back to France, while agreeing to take the same number of people from France believed to have a legitimate claim to come to Britain.

Government figures for the period from 4 August 2025 to 30 June 2026 reveal 1,087 people have been returned to France as part of the programme. During that period, 27,920 migrants arrived in the UK on small boats.

Figures said 1,117 people had been transferred to the UK under the scheme.

A Home Office statement said: "Anyone looking to return to the UK after being removed under the UK-France agreement is wasting their time and money – and will be removed again."

The department said: "We have removed more than 1000 illegal migrants from British soil.

"Hundreds of enforcement actions, including arrests, investigations, and sanctions have been pursued against migrant smuggling networks since the election, and we've returned or deported almost 70,000 illegal migrants."

The scheme is designed to deter people from making the dangerous journey across the Channel.

The scheme had been temporary, running up to June 2026, but has been extended until autumn, the government said.

The government said it reflected the shared commitment with the French authorities to tackle illegal immigration and break the business models of criminal gangs that profit from Channel crossings.

Small-boat arrivals so far this year are down by more than 40% compared with the same period last year.

The Home Office has not said how many people returned to France under the scheme have been detected illegally returning to the UK.

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