Migration - The Foreign Office's work

There are nearly 200m migrants worldwide. Learn about how the Foreign Office, working closely with the Border and Immigration Agency and other partners, helps manage migration to the UK.

• What does the FCO's Migration Directorate do?
• Who do we work with?
• Open and welcoming
• Refugees
• Returning people to their country of origin
• Useful links

What does the Foreign Office's Migration Directorate do?

We ensure the Foreign Office, using its network of posts and geographical expertise, delivers Government policy on:

• managing migration
• protecting genuine refugees
• reducing abuse of the asylum system
• controlling our borders against illegal immigration

Who do we work with?

• Other teams in the Foreign Office with an interest in migration
• UKVisas
• The Border and Immigration Agency
• Department for International Development - on international refugee protection and the links between migration and development
• A range of non-governmental organisations (known as NGOs)
• Other groups with an interest in migration issues

Open and welcoming

The UK is an open, tolerant and prosperous country.

We will continue to open our borders to those who bring the skills, talents, business and creativity that contribute to our economy and society. We want to welcome tourists and students to the UK.

Refugees

We also remain committed to meeting our international obligations for genuine refugees.

This demands that we maintain public confidence in the integrity of our immigration and asylum systems. We will do this through consistent and fair application processes.

Returning people to their country of origin

Migration issues are key to our relationships with other countries.

People who come to the UK illegally, overstay, or make failed asylum claims must return, or be returned, to their country of origin.

This process is often complicated because individuals can try to hide their identity and nationality.

In some cases there is a lack of co-operation by the country of origin, despite an obligation to take them back.

Other countries want their nationals to continue travelling to the UK. We ask them to accept their obligations in return.

We work closely with our Home Office Border and Immigration Agency colleagues to improve this co-operation and to find ways of securing the quick return of those who have no legal right to remain in the UK.

We help such countries to introduce simple processes for issuing identity and travel documents to those who need them.

Useful links

• UK Border and Immigration Agency
• UKVisas
• Department for International Development