Inspection report published: An inspection of the UK-France Agreement on the Prevention of Dangerous Journeys (Operation Hillmore) (March – June 2026)
What was announced
The Independent Chief Inspector comments on the inspection report on the agreement between the UK and France following its publication.
Key points, in the publisher's words
- Initially established as a ten-month pilot, Operation Hillmore tested ways of returning to France individuals who arrived in the UK illegally by small boats, while simultaneously providing a controlled legal route for eligible migrants in France to enter the UK. The pilot was established with considerable speed and was due to end on 11 June 2026 but was extended until 1 October 2026.
- The inspection examined whether the pilot was meeting its aims, the arrangements in place to evaluate its effectiveness, including how lessons learned were identified and applied, and the challenges associated with any transition from pilot to full implementation.
- The inspection found that the pilot demonstrated that a jointly linked IN and OUT agreement could be established and made to work using existing practices and ways of working that were legally robust. Key contributors were the high priority and availability of resources given to Hillmore within the Home Office and strong leadership of the pilot coordinating work across the migration and borders system.
Check it against the official record
The latest official figures on the subjects this story covers, each with its source and full history:
Who and where
UK bodies of power
- Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (independent monitoring body) · more news
- Home Office (UK government department) · more news
Countries
Where this sits in the 10 levels of power
Topics, as GOV.UK files them: Inspections of border, immigration and asylum services.
Receipt
- Original: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/inspection-report-published-an-inspection-of-the-uk-france-agreement-on-the-prevention-of-dangerous-journeys-operation-hillmore-march-june-2026
- Published 2026-11-10 13:42:02 UTC
- Read by this site 2026-11-10 13:45:44 UTC from GOV.UK
- Saved copy: receipt 11894, with its SHA-256 fingerprint
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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